


Confidential Hope

by ExodusDei



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Action, Albert Wesker Lives, Drama, Humor, M/M, Piers Nivans Lives, Post-RE6, Romance, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-06 22:50:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 80,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8772526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExodusDei/pseuds/ExodusDei
Summary: Over six months passed since China and Jake gives in to an old acquaintance, starting to work for the B.S.A.A. His first assignment is easy enough, but what comes after that might be more complicated than he expected. His heritage keeps catching up with him in more than one way and it won´t be long before he realizes his father might not be as dead as everyone assumes. At the same time Piers is going through his own struggles and the two find themselves together more than either would enjoy. Until they start to actually get along.





	1. Fireflies in China

The damp heat felt pretty much the same as the last time he visited. Sticky and humid, causing his shirt to stick to him and the gloves to feel disgusting, but he wasn´t touching anything without them. Not here, not in the place where so many memories lingered. It felt like much longer than seven months. He felt older than he was, too, but that was another thing entirely. Sherry said the feeling would never really go away, but it would get better over time, and Jake trusted her on that. He came to trust her when it came to a lot of things, which was another reason why he was back in China with official B.S.A.A. documents to back up his unwelcome presence.

And they let him feel it was unwelcome. As far as the officials mattered, they wanted him out as quickly as possible and he agreed. Rather vocally as they discussed this right in front of him in Chinese, expecting the white male to remain ignorant. Linguistic skills did come in handy now and then. Without another word the officer lead him to a parked Jeep with the B.S.A.A. logo emblazed on either side. Jake managed to avoid the uniforms, mostly because he made it more than understandable that he would rather be caught dead than wearing one, but it appeared that avoiding cars was impossible.

**Three weeks ago**

_Sherry was way too excited about this and Jake was frowning more than usually. When he contacted her two days ago about possible jobs, she was rather quick to jump on the train of having him work with others. The B.S.A.A., especially. They lost many agents over the course of half a year.  
"Just leave everything to me!" And he wasn´t sure why he agreed, but there he was, entering Redfield´s office after a very enthusiastic knock from Sherry. _

_"Chris! So? Did you think about it? Because I have recommendations from both Leon and me here and we all know Jake is stubborn and a jackass-"_

_"I´m right here." The mercenary grunted, glaring from one to another, already regretting this decision._

_"Hush. But he´s also highly skilled and disciplined and would be a great asset. Just give him a chance to see how things go, alright? I promise you won´t regret it." She seemed way more positive about this whole experience than Jake himself._

_"Yes, I already thought about it," now there was a reply that Jake hadn´t honestly expected. Redfield seemed almost amused, but there were dark circles beneath his eyes and he looked exhausted. They had yet to have their little talk, but that had to wait. Jake... wasn´t entirely ready to hear the truth. "And I agree. On all accounts, too. There´s actually a thing I have been considering for a while and it could prove a nice little test to see if Jake has what it takes." The Captain´s gaze shifted from the blonde agent to the man inspecting his bookshelf._

_"You´re already making it sound like a pain, Redfield. Out with it before I go back to getting paid to kill shit. Unless that´s what you want me to do and you know I´m great at it." He did spend the past half a year running around the world and taking out any stray B.O.W.s. But some things were easier with a scrap of paper to wave around._

_"We´d need to work on that attitude at some point, but for now, it´s this." A folder was pushed to the other side of his desk and after a moment, Jake walked over to it, flipping over the first page, then the others._

_"So basically the same shit I´ve been doing until now?" Stray B.O.Ws near the areas infected seven months ago, reports from people living there. "Alright, I can do that. But how is this a test? You know I can do this." He fixed Redfield with a hard glare and for a moment he thought he saw the man tense._

_"Sherry, can you step outside for a moment?" Chris didn´t even look at her as he spoke and though she opened her mouth to protest, she nodded, closing the door as Jake continued to glare. "There´s also another thing... a reason why I want you to go there. These are easy, but there´s been a report of a B.O.W., humanoid, bartering with a village for food."_

_Jake´s brows furrowed and he closed the file as Chris set another one on top, opening it on the few blurry photos someone snapped. Humanoid shape, almost like the mutated Ruka-J´avo. One arm grotesque and twisted. But the photos were from too far away. "Where were these taken?"_

_He wasn´t nearly as surprised as he should have been upon hearing the answer. "China. Near the underground facility that was destroyed seven months ago."_

**Present**

So now he was here, driving to that small village, staring at the road as a small case rested on the seat beside him. The antidote within was made from his own blood and a mixture of William Birkin´s own research. A donation of one Ada Wong, as he found out. The one that captured Sherry and him was a clone of some kind, he didn´t care enough to remember the details. This antidote though, was a new strain. And he kept glancing over at it, glaring each time.

The road turned into a dirt one soon and he didn´t bother slowing down as he continued towards the village. The river ran beside him, oddly clean and serene. China was actually pretty nice when no one was trying to kill him and he could enjoy the scenery. The village looked pretty decent. None of the destruction seemed to have reached it. But none of the natives looked happy about seeing a Jeep pull up and Jake get out without considering the options

The kept watching him as he walked through the village. Elderly and kids alike cleared the way, the adults glaring without even bothering to hide it. He didn´t blame them. But he knew where he was going and made no stops. A smaller house, decorated very neatly, an imperial lion guarding the entrance. And an elderly woman sat outside, smoking and drinking what could be either tea or beer, hard to tell in these places. Kneeling beside the tiny old woman so he could be level with her, Jake could tell he had been followed without the need to look over his shoulder. 

"You knew someone was coming. I would tell them that I´m not here to fuck around, but they´re more likely to listen to you." The Chinese rolled off his tongue easily even now and the woman gave a faint nod before shouting over to one of the gathered groups nearby. A few weapons peeked through, mostly knives and machetes, only two cheap guns. The group lingered, glaring at the white man before slowly stepping away, returning to their duties and Jake smirked before handing her a strip of paper that she pocketed. Money did talk. He would know.

"The one you´re looking for... stops during the night. Just a boy like you. Doesn´t talk much and nobody knows where he came from. But he´s not like the other monsters around here." She nodded to herself before staring off towards the ocean. "Polite, always says thank you and he looks scared. His Chinese is rather broken. Never hurt anyone either, but he runs away when the young ones try to get closer. They are curious about his arm. But he barters, repairs things in exchange for food and medicine." Jake nodded, following her gaze. Still several hours left until night.

"That over there, the house with the red door, you can stay there or the city. Don´t cause trouble. Don´t hurt the boy. He´s a friend and you are not." A smirk tugged on his lips as he gave another nod and slowly stood up. The house really wasn´t much, more a shack than anything, but it would do since he wasn´t staying long. The cover mission he had been given was taken care of within a few days, the B.O.W.s dead. Now to deal with this.

A large room that served as both a bedroom, living are and a tiny kitchen, with only one other room being the bathroom. More than good enough as far as Jake was concerned. For now he tossed the bag he brought near the bed, losing all interest in it. It only had a change of clothes and some herbs in it, along with bandages Setting the case on the table he input the code before it opened and stared at the two syringes inside. Such a little thing, yet to vital. He kept both on his person, locking the case, letting anyone curious deal with the lock while he would go outside to get some water and see if the villages could tell him something more.

They weren´t talkative. At least most of them were rather tight-lipped, but the younger ones seemed almost eager to talk. The kids especially. Oddly enough, no one called him a monster. The same things were repeated over and over again. He repaired ships and nets and in return they gave him food. That he never stayed long or showed up during the day. That he was polite and kept turning his right body away from people. That no one knew where he went afterwards. Who he was. His name.

The answers were becoming tiresome after a while and Jake made his way over to the pier, staring at the water. The moon was out, barely, just a small sliver that didn´t provide enough light, but the hundreds of stars did. And the air cooled down as well, which provided some much-needed relief. The water was calm and there was no movement, but after a while he still retreated into the shadows, watching for any signs. It could be days before he would show up, he knew that, but according to one fisherman it has been a couple of days. 

He moved away from the water and back to the village, walking around the spots where the creature was supposed to appear from. The first rustle of leaves was a false alarm, a dog jumping out with a lizard in his mouth and trotted off. Jake´s fingers hovered above the gun at his waist before he realized it wouldn´t be necessary. Blending in with the darkness thanks to his preference for dark clothing, he walked to another spot, a few jutting rocks near a small beach-like area, the foliage a dark green, the flowers closed for the night. It was silent and calm.

Another rustling and Jake moved into a shadow, eyes fixed on the spot. Something seemed to be dragged over the ground, more rustling. Jake was ready, though his hands were nowhere near the gun now. And then fingers, human ones, set on one of the rocks as the creature finally stepped into the dim moonlight and whatever illumination the lanterns provided.

He looked worse than Jake remembered. But that didn´t include the recording from the facility Redfield gave him. He shuddered watching them for the first time, then stared transfixed each time afterwards. The determination and loyalty in that idiot was remarkable and stupid at the same time. Even now the remains of the uniform, although tattered in some places, were still visible. He lost the tactical vest or had it someplace else. Not important. Jake watched him move from the greenery and into the light. His right arm a grotesque mutation of its former self., the right side of his face showing damage similar to the J´avo mutation or a heavy burn.

The arm... he had seen the way he used it. Protecting Redfield and attacking that giant piece of shit B.O.W. Saving the world at the expanse of his own life. So fucking stupid and selfless and people didn´t even know anything. Jake was pissed off on his behalf, even though his fondness for the man was non-existent. Some things were just wrong. Still watching him move, cautious and almost scared, it soon became tedious for Jake. He moved around the building he was hiding behind, right up to the point where another step would have him face the other. And he didn´t hesitate to do exactly that.

The reaction was immediate. Shock, fear, anger, some odd kind of relief, but mostly he looked terrified. The good arm rose to clutch at the monstrous one and he watched him take a step back and immediately held up his hands.  
"Hey, I´m not here to hurt you, alright? The opposite really. You have friends in high places that are worried about you." A spark ran through the arm, then another, tiny ones that flickered in the darkness, but Jake still wasn´t worried. Instead he took a step closer, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.

"It´s been a while, _Puppy_."


	2. Mano a mano

Chapter II

"It´s been a while, Puppy."

In hindsight, he could have gone with a more friendly greeting, one that didn´t evoke the last time they met, but maybe Nivans would not remember that. But he seemed to remember exactly who Jake was, staring with wide eyes. The dim light of the lanterns was not enough to see clearly, but the damage was there. Even shocked as he was, Jake could see him turn his right side away from him, taking a step back, then another.

"No-" Time was running out. Jake had to fix this before this mission would be considered a failure due to his own big mouth. Sherry always did tell him to think first.

"Before you try running off, just listen to me, alright?" Raising his arms to show he had no weapon, sans for the gun at his waist and the knife he always carried, Jake remained standing, trying to see the other´s eyes in the shadows cast over his face. "I´m not here to kill you or hurt you or any of that shit. Kinda the opposite. I´m here to help."

"I don´t need help." And there was the stubborn sharpshooter. It nearly made his lips twist into a smirk now that he heard Nivans actually react in his usual manner. He was still there. And all things considered, it was fucking impressive. The mutated arm was clue enough, but he was still there inside, just somewhat different as far as appearance went.

"Redfield thought differently." Even before the name was spoke aloud, he anticipated the reaction. Widened eyes, jaw tense and a faint jerk of his shoulders. The questions had to be burning on his tongue, yet the man held back from asking, forcing himself to calm down. "Someone shot a few blurry photos that looked more promising than the old Loch Ness ones, so he decided to follow up on them. Turns out, they were right."

Nivans was not running. At least not yet, which was more than Jake expected at first. And he was curious now, which showed in his expression as the eyes. No sparks came from the mutated limb that he continued to keep away from Jake, but at least he stopped retreating as well. But this was just the start. Jake had a mission to accomplish and he was damn-well going to do exactly that.

"Capt-... Chris. Is he alright?" The change of a title to a name was something to consider later for sure. He had Nivans hooked and now to slowly reel him in.

"He sent me here to get you. He´s doing fine. Kinda pale and probably overworking himself or something. I don´t know him that well. But he´s fine. And he wants you back." The mutated man´s spine straightened at those words before he shook his head as though in denial, refusing the possibility.

"Can´t. That´s just... impossible. I´m a B.O.W now. Even the people here are scared of me-"

"Bullshit. They were scared and now you have little kids threatening me because they feel protective, Puppy. And considering that I made it my job to kill B.O.W.s and you are still alive and standing, I can cross that option off the list." Well, there was a wrong thing to say. The first spark on the arm came quickly, the sharp tendrils at the end twitching when another shook the limb, but Jake didn´t move. But his arms were getting tired and he slowly lowered them.

"If you want answers, you´ll need to talk to Redfield, but take a number. As for that," he nodded to the mutated appendage before reaching to his belt, holding out his other hand away from his gun. "They made a vaccine. A new one. Tested it rather thoroughly, but you always were special, Puppy. And it will probably hurt." It would definitely hurt. There was no going around the pain it would cause, but the result should be something good. Should be. Jake didn´t know how well it would work, if it was even permanent or merely temporary. Hell, he knew next to nothing aside from what he was told before leaving for China. But he was still here. Maybe because he wanted to believe it worked.

"I´m not going anywhere! Don´t make me hurt you, Jake. I just want to be alone and-"

"And what? Live the next decades repairing ships in return for shitty food? Live alone and drive yourself mad? Fuck that! Where´s the Nivans who would shoot me for even yelling at his beloved Captain? Or did this break you? Come on, Puppy, you´re stronger than that." More bait, antagonizing, just waiting for the other to take it and-

"Shut up! You don´t know anything! What it feels like to lose everything and watch as everyone around me dies and I sure as hell wasn´t letting Chris die! And if I have to spend the rest of my miserable life alone then I will!" More sparks and he could tell that the other was glaring at him, holding back from lashing out, but his torso turned more towards Jake. His clothes were not nearly as tattered as they should be, as Jake started to notice. The B.S.A.A. logo dirty, but visible, the arm making it impossible to change into anything else.

"I lost everything before, Nivans. But this is about you and I´m sure as hell not leaving without you. So be a good boy and make this easy on both of us. Or we can finally duke it out like we planned to. What do you say? Mano a mano." He slid the vaccine back into his pocket, smirking now, lifting his hand and curled his fingers twice at the other, daring him, taunting him even.

"You´re insane."

"Runs in the family."

He could see the faintest quirk of what might have been a smile, but never truly was one. And Jake was done talking, slowly taking the first step forward. Then another, walking over to Nivans and watched the other retreat at the same time, eyes trained on the former mercenary and body tense. Almost as if he had an inner fight-or-flight turmoil going on.

"I told you I´m not coming with you. I can´t. I´m sorry." Jake frowned, mere steps away from Nivans when the bolt hit him in the leg. It was a mild jolt at best, a warning perhaps, but did nothing to deter him. It made him wonder instead how it could be so mild when he had seen the damage the arm could do. Could Nivans be actually controlling it? Did he actually subdue the virus and make it his own, having full control over the weapon that his arm became?

"Guess we´re going to settle this the old-fashioned way. Just how I like it." The moon continued to move, now above them as Jake lunged forward, punching the other´s face. He did hold back, refraining from breaking anything. Months of whatever this village had did Nivans no favours and he lost some of the muscle mass, plus the virus itself was no walk through the park. But the next thing he knew was a fist connecting with his own face. The soldier was still there inside him.

Jake expected more sparks, more electricity to shock him, maybe throw him back a few feet, but instead he just felt Nivans punch him back, trying to kick his legs from under him, but not quickly enough. He really was in control, as the next swipe from the arm showed. Now he was really impressed and smirked, grabbing the mutated arm, eyes trained on Nivans´ face to see if there was any semblance of pain from the grip, but thankfully there was nothing. But then he twisted his body, using the grip he had to toss him over his shoulder and onto the hard ground. The lack of proper nutrition and training took their toll on him and now the wind was easily knocked out of Nivans, allowing Jake just enough time to retrieve the injection once more. Flashes of one just like it that he injected into his own neck so long ago made him grimace, but a second later he pressed it to one of the holes in the other´s shirt and pushed the plunger down.

"No!!" The empty syringe fell away as Jake straddled him, forcing his body to the ground, his right hand gripping the man´s left forearm while he leaned with the other against the mutated limb, ignoring the sparks that singed his skin. "Let go!! No! Don´t do thi-argh!!" The trashing nearly knocked him off as the effect finally showed.

He didn´t want to imagine how badly it must hurt. But Jake didn´t look away. "I said I´m bringing you back, Piers. Look at me! You didn´t survive for months and come to control that thing out of nowhere! So look at me and get ready to see Redfield again soon!" The mention of the man caused panic to appear in his eyes before another wave of pain interrupted. Jake shifted lower, using his strength to keep the man pinned as he thrashed around and then watched as the mutated arm began to change.

He had seen plenty of J´avo change shapes. Limbs grew, entire torsos changed, but nothing like this. The limb was changing, getting smaller, but it was slow. Seconds turned into minutes and Nivans´ cries became pain-filled sobs. He kept repeating the same word over and over again, the word 'no' like a prayer that no god was willing to listen to. But Jake didn´t move.

"It´s okay. See? It´s working. You´ll be just fine. Once this is over, you´ll go back to being a pain in the ass and following Redfield around and working for the B.S.A.A. and all that." He kept talking in circles, watching the arm shrink, the disturbing colouring fade to match Nivans´ skin tone, albeit with several scar-like marks running down from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers. Other than that, his hand looked human. Really human. And the same could be said for his face. Much less scaring, the lines fainter and his eye matched the other one, sans for the colour. 

He had green eyes at some point. Both of them. Now one had a greyish, almost silver tint. His cheeks were wet with tears and the sobs slowly stilled as the eyes closed. Jake didn´t move for a while longer, right up until he felt all tension leave the other. Getting off of him he took his right hand, inspecting the very human fingers. The pulse was slightly erratic, but the temperature was normal. Counting the seconds as instructed he sat there, then dropped his hand and shifted to look at his eye. Once more he counted, two minutes in total. Nothing.

"Looks like the B.S.A.A. has some good nerds working in those labs. Come on, let´s get you in that hut so you can yell at me later." Standing up he looked around, aware that some of the villagers watched the whole thing. It was as he was glancing around that something caught his attention. Back where Nivans stood before was a cloth of some kind. Nearly perfectly clean.

"You still had this after all that time?" The scarf Nivans wore when they met the first time in Edonia, then again in China and now still. As if there was another need for proof that he was human. A pained groan made him stuff the scarf into his pocket as he returned to the man and with an exaggerated sight lifted him up. "Someone´s skipped a few good meals." More than a few.

Getting him to the little hut was easy enough and he deposited Nivans on the cot before checking his vitals yet again. The first six hours were vital, if he would make it through he should be golden. First thing to do was to cut away the tattered shirt and check for any other damage that needed treatment and Jake used the knife for that, tossing the torn rags on the floor. Scars, bruises, but nothing else that required medical attention. Tossing the blanket over him he sat down on the floor beside him, opening his PDA, but hesitated after a moment.

Not yet. The call would have to wait until tomorrow. Better just keep an eye on Nivans for now. He looked just as Jake remembered, just with a few more scars and dirty. The vaccine, whatever it was, worked a small miracle. But something so powerful should not fall into the wrong hands.

"What did you do to the boy? His arm changed after you two fought." The old woman entered without knocking, staring at the sleeping Nivans as Jake waved his hand in dismissal.

"Just making sure the Puppy goes back to his old annoying self. Think you can have some food prepared? He´s probably staring already and needs the energy." And he could do with something to eat as well. She gave him a stare before leaving without as much as a nod, but Jake didn´t follow. He had to keep an eye on Nivans after all.

"Redfield better realize how lucky he is. This kind of devotion..." Shaking his head he turned to look at the male, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept. "You´ll be just fine. And once you are back to your charming self, we can have a proper fight." He wasn´t letting that one go. But for now? Jake leaned back against the bed and smiled. He was good at killing people, but saving them didn´t feel bad either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any and all constructive criticism is welcome. And please, let me know of any mistakes that I need to correct.


	3. Don´t call me that.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piers starts to slowly wake up.

It was rare for him to feel both warm and comfortable. The latter especially was a sensation he didn´t get to experience often lately. But he got used to it. He had no other choice. Right now though? Something was enveloping him and the usual throbbing in his shoulder was gone, but bound to return sooner rather than later. Enjoying the moment, he continued to lie there, not even moving before his mind began supplying what happened.

Muller. That asshole showed up in China and found him. And he was the last person Piers expected to see ever again. And equally unwelcome. What, after his sacrifice, he would have preferred to just go out with the facility itself, but the virus, the damn thing wouldn´t let him. It forced him to move, to swim, taking over any self-preservation instinct a human being had and amplified it. But he only recalled bits and pieces of what happened between the pod with his Captain leaving his sight and waking up on the shore. He just knew that the giant monstrous B.O.W. was dead and he was somehow alive.

The pain took some getting used to, but after a few weeks it calmed to a throb. Controlling the arm took longer however, the limb still having a mind of its own. Especially after he tried getting rid of it with a machete. It didn´t like that at all. He tried only once before giving up, accepting his fate of a lonely and hidden existence. After a brief encounter with a few stray J´avo he had a machete and a handgun, the bullets few, but useful. 

Piers had a simple routine. Twice a week he would leave the hideout he built for himself, go to the small village and get some food. Simple really, but at first it was stealing. He was starving, desperate and unable to find his own food, much less fish. So he stole, bits he hoped no one would miss too greatly. It was after several days of this that he saw one of the fishermen shout and point at his boat. A hole in the side. Chinese was too complicated to learn, but he figured this could be a good way to apologize for stealing their food.  
And ever since he continued doing that. Small repairs, keeping any stray B.O.W. and J´avo away and in return the villagers provided him with food he didn´t need to steal.

He avoided all contact the best he could, choosing the middle of the night to appear and only rarely was there anyone other than the old woman who he assumed was some kind of village elder. It was enough for him that he wasn´t being chased away or hunted down like some disturbing trophy. And eventually he accepted that this was what his life would be like from now. Until last night when he came again and instead of finding the woman there someone else showed up. And things went downhill.

The memory fresh in mind, the things Muller said and the brief fight afterwards, forced Piers to open his eyes. He was... alive? The last thing he remembered was a blinding pain and someone talking about the B.S.A.A. and the moon being really bright among the stars above and then there was nothing. He shifted his body, feeling stiff and heavy and realized that he was in a bed, covered by a thick blanket. Barely any light, two lanterns on either side of the room and a figure sitting at a table. It took a while for him to be able to focus, but the features were unmistakable. 

Jake.

So it was not a nightmare after all. He really was here in China. Why though? All of before came crashing down, a dizzy spell making his head spin as he closed his eyes again and shifted on the bed, trying to roll onto his side and it took more effort than he anticipated. But he managed and once the images stopped spinning he opened his eyes once more, this time looking down. There was no monstrous limb poking out from underneath the blanket. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Awake already?" Jake´s voice made him jump, or more like twitch since his body was not yet capable of more movement. Gaze shifting from the floor to the table he watched the other rise and walk over. He had so many questions! So many things he wanted to yell at Jake, but only a few raspy sounds escaped his throat. Swallowing was impossible, his throat raw and hurting and he wheezed as he tried again and again. "Hey, easy there. Everything´s fine. Nobody´s going to hurt you." And that included Jake.

Piers felt the blankets be tugged off and finally got to have a look at his arm. His arms. Both were there. His shirt has been removed and he could see the familiar scars he knew of and then the new ones on the right arm, but the limb ended in his fingers. Very slowly he tried to flex them, eyes wide as his hand formed a fist at his command, then relaxed again. So he did it once more, then again, moving fingers individually, even flipping Jake off by accident which made the man snort and shake his head, but there was no mockery.

"The vaccine worked. It´s been nine hours and you retained your usual form. Though I guess this would be a replacement since the old one-... never mind. Here, try to sit up. I´ll help you this time." Not wanting to delve too deeply into the recording of the research facility that took Piers´ arm and nearly his life, Jake stepped closer, slowly pulling Piers into a sitting position, leaning him back against the headboard and pushed the pillow behind his back. This worked fine. 

"Don´t have a mirror nearby, but this should do." Without a warning he took out his phone and held it to the other´s face, then snapped a photo and showed him. "Nothing to be done about the colour, but you´ll be fine. I have some tea here and you´re going to drink all of that if you want your throat to get better. Screamed it raw..." He almost sounded apologetic and if Piers hadn´t known better he would think that Jake felt guilty. But he was entranced by seeing his own face in the photo, the only change the colour of his eye and a few scars. Was this real?

"Piers? Hey, Puppy!" That got his attention and his head snapped towards Jake, a glare aimed at him before a mug was pushed towards his hand. His right hand. Tentatively he raised it, still mesmerized by the control he had and soon his fingers curled around the mug. Warm. Hot almost, but he welcomed the sensation and very slowly raised it to his lips. Sweet and flowery. He had no idea what was in it, but it was the most delicious tea he ever drank in his life, he was sure of that. "Go slow, alright? The old hag brought food a while ago, though it´s lukewarm by now. Meat dumplings and soup. You need to eat."

"...w-...hy?" The one word required more effort than he thought it would. Staring at Jake he wanted answers, but specifying which ones was impossible. His stomach gave a loud growl, but no mockery came. Again. The last time he saw Jake was after he threatened to shoot his Captain and saying that they didn´t see eye-to-eye would be a great understatement. And here he was. Nothing in his life made sense any longer. But even if this was a dream, it was a nice one and he might as well savour it.

"Why what? Why I´m here? Why you´re here? Why dumplings?" Jake slowly brought over the bowl of soup, more of a thick broth than liquid, a plate of steaming dumplings. The smell alone was divine, his mouth watering and he took another sip of the tea. He could taste honey now. "Simple. Someone took photos, they got to the B.S.A.A. and they sent me here. I was bored of mercenary life and Sherry decided to have me try this gig, so Redfield sent me because he was busy and this was all a secret mission. The vaccine was made from my blood and some other thing I didn´t care to find out and tested before given to be used on you. To bring you back. And she probably thought you´d like something warm instead of cold fish and fruit. Now eat."

And he did. Slowly, his stomach not used to hot foods or liquids since he always avoided using fire in fear of attracting attention to his little hideout. It tasted delicious. Not quite like steak, nothing ever did, but right now it was be the best thing he had eaten in forever. When Jake refilled the mug he wanted to ask more questions, maybe something with more than one word, but the other only shook his head. "I said later. There is no rush. I got a change of clothes for you as well when you feel good enough to shower." It took a lot of willpower not to comment on how much Piers needed one.

The next several minutes passed in silence as Jake did something on his phone while Piers slowly ate. No vertigo, so he managed to avoid a concussion. There was no twitch or any other strange feeling that would connect to his arm, so he had control, but that worried him as well. How long? What if the vaccine would fail? What if he would mutate even more? What if-"Would you knock it off? I can hear you thinking from here, Puppy. Plus you look like you´re about to cry."

"Don´t... call me that..." Piers glared at him through his watery eyes and was met with that cocky smirk that made Jake even more punchable. Staring down at his hand he flexed his fingers, but they continued to obey him. The movement seemed a bit slow, but he hadn´t had fingers on that had for months. The hand... didn´t feel foreign. Was it truly his own? He really didn´t want to think about this too deeply and for once decided to follow the other´s advice, not thinking about it too much as he instead focused on slowly eating, taking his time lest he would get sick. It was good though. Really good.

"We´ll leave as soon as you can walk and hold a conversation. I have yet to let Redfield know everything went well. Though he may want to hear that from you, so better work on what you´re going to say." He could feel Jake´s eyes on him and met his gaze. He looked the same as the last time he had seen him. Hair still a short red hue, blue eyes glaring, the scar on his face making him actually look every bit as dangerous as he was. But he didn´t want to talk to Chris. There was nothing to say. He had made peace with everything when the pod left the research facility... he wasn´t ready.

"Can´t. Chris is... better now." Better without him. Just hearing that he was still the Captain and working for the B.S.A.A. made Piers feel content. But the man was just Chris to him now. "Not my Captain... any longer."

"That explains a few things." Jake was doing something on his phone before walking over. "But you´re wrong. Unless I´m not getting your fancy military terminology, but someone missing in action is not considered dead until evidence is found, right?" Once more he turned his phone to Piers, showing him the official B.S.A.A. file with his face and name. Status: M.I.A. Not deceased or alive, just missing. Everything was happening too fast.

"Look, Puppy. You better start getting better quickly. Your arm has recovered, the B.S.A.A. is waiting and you are safe. And you are not dangerous either. So quit moping, you had enough time for that, and start thinking of all the things you can do when you get back to America." Jake was glaring now, arms crossed over his chest before he leaned in and flicked Piers´ forehead with a smirk. "See? Nothing happened. So finish eating and try moving around a bit, then shower. The clothes are in the bathroom."

There was no urge to suddenly attack him, beyond the usual urge to smack the grin off his face with a well-placed punch, but that was it. His arm remained calm and as he glanced down he could see no twitch, no spark, not even an increased pulse in the scars marring the flesh. "You being nice... is weird. And stop calling me Puppy, asshole." It felt so good to say that and piers set the empty plate on the stand beside the bed before pulling the covers back. At least he was still wearing pants; he wasn´t sure until this point.

"There´s the Puppy I know. And no, can´t do. It irritates you and amuses me." Either one of those was reason enough to keep doing that. The formerly mutated hand flipped him off as Piers slowly walked to what Jake pointed out to be the bathroom. A hot shower sounded divine. Clean clothes even more so. The dirty and cracked mirror was not the best at showing his reflection and for a moment he marvelled at the normalcy of it. His eye was a different colour now, sure, and there were more scars on his face, but otherwise, it was him. And his hair needed a trim really badly.

Opening the medicine cabinet he rummaged through the mess of dirty bandages and a few bottles that made no sense before finding a new one that spelled out shampoo and a pair of straight manicure scissors. Better than nothing. Wetting his hair he took a deep breath and made the first cut. 

Ten minutes later he was done and a knock on the door came just as he rinsed the hair from the sink. "You alright there? I don´t hear the shower running." How nice of that ass to be so concerned. It was unnerving more than anything...

"Just taking care of something. Go away." His throat felt better, the honey-infused tea helping a ton and satisfied with his old hairstyle back, Piers stripped off the rest of his clothes. They were filthy. Washing them means he had to physically bathe in them in the clean parts of the sea. He didn´t have to wear those again. The toilet lid had a bag on top and that probably contained the promised clothing.

Taking a shower felt strange for some reason. The warm water was better, the shampoo he found dubbed as soap as well and he instantly felt better. More alive. And for several long minutes he just stood beneath the stream, his eyes closed and body relaxed, unaware of the door opening and Jake stepping inside.


	4. Goodbye dumplings, hello steak

From the moment Nivans woke up he irritated Jake. Though for once, he gave him a pass considering the shit he went through. The pained screams and tears from before still rang in his ears hours later that he spent watching over him, checking his pulse, his vitals, his pupils. But the vaccine did the job really fucking well. His arm looked human. Was human. If only such advanced medicine existed in Edonia back when his mother was sick. He would have worked even harder to earn money. Nothing he could do about it now. But the memory still hurt.

Getting through to the stubborn sniper was not easy, but showing him his file seemed to help and calm him down. Apparently, Redfield refused to have his status changed into anything finite until he had evidence and for once it worked out fine. But it was still too early to celebrate, as they had yet to return to America and deal with a lot more shit. For now he just urged the man to start moving around and take a shower, wash away the dirt and grime that he couldn´t before.

"Damn, forgot about this." With a sigh he picked up the towel that sat in a chair and walked to the bathroom, finally hearing the water run and knocked, but didn´t even bother waiting for an answer. Not that Nivans could hear him anyway. "Brought you a towel." Calling loudly enough to be heard he watched the shadow behind the flimsy curtain jump.

"Hey! I´m taking a shower here!" Rolling his eyes, Jake looked to the sink, stray hair on the edge making him curious, but then he saw the scissors and chuckled. He cut his hair? So vain.

"Really? I didn´t notice, with the water running at all. You forgot a towel, jackass. You´re fucking welcome." He didn´t linger to hear a response, closing the door once he stepped out and looked at his phone. Everything was set and ready. The plane was on standby until they were ready to leave and all documents were cleared. He hesitated when it came to letting Redfield know how everything turned out. For some reason it would feel more right if Nivans would be the one to tell him instead.

The sound of water running ceased and he walked back to the table, glancing to the folded up scarf. He had thought of throwing it away, dirty as it was, but there were no holes, no fraying and obviously it was the one possession the man took care of even with his mutation. So while he slept, Jake went as far as to wash it. Thoroughly. It gave him something to do and he had a feeling that Nivans would appreciate it. 

Look at him. Being all nice and friendly and saving the Puppy. Sherry better be proud, even though he didn´t really do this for her. Or Redfield. He did this for Nivans because the feeling that he owed him would not go away. The man saved the fucking world and the world had no idea. It pissed him off just to think about it and his fingers clenched around the scarf before he smoothed it out. Was it a present from someone?

"I feel like a whole new man!" The happy exclamation made him look up from the table and stare at Nivans. Dressed in clean clothes, B.S.A.A. issued, of course, he looked just like his old self. The dog tags were still around his neck, now shiny and his whole complexion seemed to have brightened up. And there was no hint of lacking control over his new arm as he dried his hair.

"You really did cut it. There´s a career for you." What he used to slick the frontal strands up, Jake had no idea. And it didn´t matter. Walking over he stared down at him, enjoying the difference in height even though he was being glared at.

"Maybe. I can´t-"

"If you say that you can´t go back I´m going to punch you so hard." The growl accompanying his threat felt appropriate and he wrapped the scarf around the man´s neck, making a knot over his mouth so he could not speak for at least a few more seconds. "I didn´t come here to retrieve a quitter or a dead body. I came to take you back. Do you think Redfield would have given up on you if he didn´t need you? Your name is a fucking legend at the B.S.A.A. and even I know it. The virus is contained and that´s your arm once more."

He could see him struggle with the knot for a moment before tugging the scarf off his face and undoing it there, brows furrowed either in concentration or anger before he finally managed, staring at the scarf before wrapping it around his neck properly. "Did you wash it?"

"I was bored. Let me see that arm of yours again." Grabbing a sleek white device from his bag, the end circular and flat, he didn´t comment on the wordless outstretching of the arm and pressed it to his shoulder. The device lit up at the tip, then pricked the skin, causing him to jerk, but Jake held his are tightly by the wrist. "Don´t move. It needs a moment."

"For what?" Piers was confused, but held still, staring at the odd glow that pressed over the once mutated arm. He could feel his fingers, the muscles and everything was just the same as he recalled.

"Analysis." The device made a happy little beeping sound and Jake pulled away. "And you´re good. Blood analysis shows that the virus has been subdued completely. Basically, this should mean that you can control it. I don´t know the detail or care that much. Just ask someone back at the B.S.A.A. later. But the gist of it is this; you are in control and no longer any danger to yourself or others. Otherwise you would have attacked me before when I flicked your forehead or now when the blood was drawn."

Putting the device away, at least for now, Jake nodded towards the small window. "I have a jeep waiting for when you are ready to head back. Frankly, I had enough China to last me a lifetime or two and I think you as well." There wasn´t much to pack here. Everything was shoved back into the bag he came with and he left the torn and dirty clothes for someone else to deal with.

"Could you just wait for a fucking second!? Yesterday I was still... that, and now I´m supposed to what? Get on a plane and resume my life as if nothing happened? Are you insane? What if that thing is wrong and it just grows back as it was? What if everyone will just shun me anyway because of what I am? What if the Captain is-" He did not get to finish, instead stumbled back from where Jake punched him.

"Are you done? Yes, shit is moving fast because it has to. The thing is not wrong because it showed the same result a dozen times in a row now. And they are not going to shun the hero who saved the fucking world. Your Captain wouldn´t let them. And besides," a smirk curled on his lips. "You called Redfield Captain. And don´t shout. Your throat just recovered. Come on, you can say goodbye to all your friends outside."

"The hell are you talking about? What friends?" Piers wiped the blood from his nose before it could drip onto his scarf and after a moment of hesitation followed him to the door that he unceremoniously opened and stepped outside. The light of the day was bright for his eyes and he shielded them with his arm for a moment, but once he started to adjust he could see the villagers gathered around.

"I meant them. The B.S.A.A. will take care of any stray B.O.W. or J´avo running around, so don´t worry about that. Your job here is over; time to move on to another mission." They mostly ignored Jake, aside from glaring for having watched him deal with Piers before, but no one tried to stop him as he walked to the jeep, tossing the bag in the back and leaned against the door.

The small kids, as few of them as there were, came first, crowding around Piers, touching his new arm without any fear, speaking in rapid Chinese that seemed to confuse the sniper and a few of the older men pointed to the boats at the pier. "You did good repair." The broken English was not that bad and Jake would bet it was better than Piers´ Chinese. One of the women shook his hand, saying something along the lines of her husband being saved from a monster thanks to Piers and the elderly woman just stood there, nodding in agreement to everything.

"We have to get going." Jake hated to interrupt the touching moment and he really did, since the shock in the man´s face was an interesting sight. But the plane was waiting and he wanted to get out of this place. He gave him a few more moments before getting into the driver´s seat and not long after felt the car dip as Piers slid beside him. "Maybe you can visit sometime." Probably not.

The engine roared to life and slowly he began to head up the road leading out of the village. The kids ran after the car, waving and Piers waved back, the shock still evident in his face. He really was a Puppy and no matter how much he would deny it, Jake would never cease calling him that. Once they were back on a proper road he drove faster, heading back to the small airport.

"It will be several hours in the air so you can get some more sleep. I know I will."

**After the flight**

No matter what class a flight was considered, even if the chairs were to be comfortable, Jake always left the plane stiff, grunting as he massaged his sore neck. Piers didn´t seem that affected by it, eyes wide as he stepped out and into the cold air, shuddering since all he was wearing was the short-sleeved B.S.A.A. shirt. "There´s a car waiting, but I want to grab something to eat first before we head back to the HQ. You could probably use something as well."

"Sure... sounds good." The meek reply said more than Piers did and Jake lead him to the parked car. No one else was around to bother them, which Jake always appreciated as he opened the trunk. Same as he left it. Tossing a standard-issue B.S.A.A. jacket at Piers he sneered as the man nearly dropped it before putting it on. 

"Didn´t bring those along since I travel light." That was his excuse at least as he put his own on, just a plain black one since he refused to be caught dead wearing any of their jarhead attire. Some things would never change. Getting into the car he turned the heating on first thing, the blast of warm air a welcome change. He waited until Piers closed the door before driving off, leaving the airport behind in favour of the city. From what he heard, Nivans liked steak.

"So, how do you feel?" Small talk was bullshit, but he was genuinely curious. Piers had been oddly silent during the flight. Both of them got some sleep and Jake made sure to message Sherry that he was coming back And she no doubt told Redfield. There was something about a surprise and to keep him away from the HQ until four. Which gave them over an hour of time still. Turning the corner he started looking for a restaurant that looked like it would serve steak, something American no doubt and it didn´t take long to find it.

"It feels strange to be back. I never thought I would be here again. Hey Jake, this is all real, right? I´m not going to wake up?"

"I don´t make it a thing to dream about other guys and I don´t want to be dreamed about either. So no, you´re not. But I can always hit you again if you want to make sure." His cheek had a little bruising, but that was it.

"Thanks, I can go without this time. Oh, I remember this place. I used to come here with the rest of the guys sometime." His eyes lit up as Jake pulled to the curb and parked the car. So Piers has been here before, that saved him some trouble. The restaurant was nothing special, kinda dim, but it smelled good and Piers´ excitement was obvious. They found a table quickly and he didn´t even glance at the menu.

"Since you were here before, I´ll leave our orders up to you." And while Piers dealt with that, Jake read another message from Sherry. A surprise party for Piers was in the making and decorations were taking a while. _Everyone is excited!_ Looked like he was worried for nothing. He typed out a few messages before sending out just a plain _OK_ as response and put the phone away.

"Any news from the HQ?" Fear and excitement coursed through Piers now. He saw the way the waitress stared at his face and his arm as he ordered the house special steaks and two cokes, classic with sugar, but she made no comment about it. Would others stare? Jake had no problem, but he wasn´t really normal so he didn´t count. How would Chris react? His new team; what were they like? Twice now he had lost his men. 

"Nothing important. You look like you´re about to get sick. Just relax. You´ll see him soon enough." It was like trying to talk down a hyperactive puppy.

"And you´ll see Sherry. How are things between the two of you?" Now there was a rebuttal he didn´t expect. Things between them? As good as they could be between two friends, though he considered Sherry to be more like a little sister. Even if she was technically older. So was Nivans, but that changed nothing.

"Standard. After all the mess blew over, we didn´t meet up much. Only the last couple of months she was in the city for some business. Tried to take me shopping." There was that smirk again and Jake leaned back, glancing to the waitress as she brought their drinks. Coke was always so sweet, but he was the one who let Piers decide. "She´s at the HQ as well and eager to see you."

"So you don´t get to date much, huh?" Was Piers trying to irritate him now? Jake almost glared at him before shaking his head at the ridiculousness of his comment. 

"We don´t date at all. She´s... I guess you could say she´s family, as much as she can be considering my father killed hers." That put a damper on Piers´ grin and Jake almost found himself regretting his words, but instead looked away for a moment. "We hang out sometimes, talk about stuff. It was her idea to get me to work for the B.S.A.A. and I´m still torn on whether it was a good idea or a ridiculous one."

"I think she made a good choice. Your conduct was proper, though you could use more tact. And... nothing was really standard either, but nothing about you is I guess." 

"Keep talking while I decide whether it was a compliment or an insult."

"What I´m trying to say you jackass, is that you did good. The B.S.A.A. would be good for you and you for it." Now that was definitely a compliment and Jake wasn´t sure how he felt about that. Good thing the food arrived next.

"What the hell-I get that Americans want to supersize shit, but this is ridiculous." The steak itself took over the plate, the potatoes and vegetables barely piled up beside it. And though it smelled good, Jake was never big on this kind of food. Maybe because he grew up differently.

"Come on, try it! I promise it´s delicious!" Piers didn´t even wait, cutting off a piece and bit into it with such glee that Jake could only stare. The blissful expression on his face though, now that was something entirely new. Might as well give it a try then. Jake cut into his own steak after a moment, going with smaller bites. And it was good. As far as steaks went, which he didn´t eat much. But it was good.

Conversation mostly ceased, but any silence was filled by the music playing in the background as they ate. From time to time, Jake would sneak pieces of meat onto Piers´ plate when the other was looking away. For one, he could use more meat and two, he would never be able to just finish it by himself. At least instead of wolfing the food down he took his time eating. Jake really wasn´t in the mood for administering a Heimlich manoeuvre.

"Ready to head to the HQ? It´s about time." Plates nearly cleaned, Jake finished the sweet coke, nodding at a waitress to come over and once she did just handed her a card. Money was so easy now. Even after his refusal of the 50 million, which would have him set for life, the government was apparently still thankful enough to give him more than his lowered price. But he hated being bored.

"Do we have to go there? Maybe we could go for a walk or-"

"Puppy. We are going to the B.S.A.A. HQ, like it or not." 

"Oh, you guys are with the B.S.A.A.? Are you like soldiers?" the waitress interrupted, eyes darting from one man to another while Jake just stood up, putting his jacket back on while Piers did the same. Putting his card away he nodded towards Nivans.

"I´m just a merc. That guy saved this fucking world. You should thank him. He´s the reason you and everyone else are still alive. So you better appreciate it."

"Oh... thank you, sir?" Jake walked out of the restaurant with a smirk on his face and back to the car, the passenger door opening soon enough as Piers got inside as well. Starting the car he drove off quickly, aware of the glared he was receiving.

"Why did you tell her that?"

"Because it´s true." The glares softened, but didn´t go away.


	5. Ivory Memories

The rest of the drive was silent. Neither man felt the need to speak and Jake appreciated that. He meant it when he said that Piers was a hero, but getting that through his thick skull was an endeavour he would willingly pass on. Glancing to the man he watched as he played with the edge of his scarf, more and more nervous the closer they got to the HQ building. Anxiety was filling the car like a bad odour and Jake almost wanted to say something to calm him down. But right now he couldn´t actually say a thing that would help. He just had to see for himself and considering that Jake pulled into the parking lot.

"We´re here. And no, I´m not turning around." Piers´ open mouth closed as his idea was shut down before he could even say anything and he ended up frowning, glaring at the dashboard for a moment.

"It´s dark in the lobby. Maybe everyone went home." His voice sounded so scared and hopeful at the same time and Jake was loathe to realize he was starting to notice things about him. 

"Nice try. Come on, get out or I will drag you out. Just try me." It was no empty threat and Piers realized this as well as he slunk out of the vehicle at last, leaning against it for a moment, rubbing his shoulder, his arm, squeezing at his elbow. "You´ll be alright. After what you lived through? This should be nothing. Let´s go. Later you can show me around since I doubt Redfield wants someone like me wandering around on my own."

The corner of Piers´ lips twitched into a small grin and Jake tugged him away from the car, grabbing his upper arm to do so, not the least bit worried that he was touching the regrown limb. To him it was a part of the man and nothing else. Hell, the virus actually gave him back his arm, so that was pretty fucking great!

The door opened without a sound and the darkness around was not enough to hide the various movement. Gods, how did these people do sneaking and tactics if they couldn´t even sit still for one moment? Their silhouettes were so obvious and Jake just shook his head, walking Piers to the middle of the lobby. "Sorry about this. I blame Sherry and Redfield." Whispering so only the other heard him he stepped away, just in time for the lights to come on and a chorus of voices to deafen him.

**"WELCOME BACK PIERS!!"**

The sniper stepped back, startled and shocked, eyes wide as he looked around. He recognized several faces right away. Teams Echo and Charlie waving, Delta guys opening bottles of Champagne and the only female on their squad hit something to fill the lobby with music. Sherry was there, literally jumping and right beside her-

"Captain?"

He looked the same as Piers recalled. Needed a shave and long hours of sleep, but it was the same Chris Redfield he followed to hell and back so many times. "Welcome home, soldier." His voice carried over the music with ease as he walked over and everyone was watching, grins on their faces as Redfield approached the man and pulled him into what could be called a bear-hug. "Welcome home, Piers." He repeated softly, squeezing the other until the embrace was awkwardly returned and his shoulder was patted.

"A-air." Piers had trouble catching his breath until Chris pulled away and he could see his eyes glittering. Or maybe his own were blurry because soon he couldn´t see properly and blinking wasn´t helping. This was the worst. Crying in front of everyone like this was humiliating and he hastily wiped at his eyes before the tears could roll down his cheeks. How was this not a dream?

"Jake! Jake!! You really did it! You found him!" Sherry´s excitement was easily spreading as she ran to stand beside the former mercenary.

"I did. Getting his ass here took more time than actually finding him." But the reunion might just be worth it. And with this, his mission came to a close. What now? Another one? He didn´t want to hang around and rain on their parade, but Jake didn´t belong here. They could all celebrate and have fun, but he was not wanted. Even now he felt it.

The glares never really stopped. Wesker´s bastard was like a glowing neon sign above his head and even though Sherry claimed the information to be classified as top secret, someone probably didn´t think the same. It was a public secret. Ironic, considering it was Wesker´s blood that helped save the world and Nivans. Jake didn´t get to choose his parents. No one did. And since both were dead, he couldn´t seek any answers.

"Jake!?" Sherry´s voice reached him again and he looked at her before a champagne flute was pushed into his gloved hand. "You were gone there for a moment. Did something happen?" She watched him for a moment before her attention shifted to Piers and the way everyone was greeting him. A few hugs were exchanged as well, his hair messed up. He really was like a puppy.

"Nothing. Just thinking about stuff." Staring at the drink he set it on the reception desk behind him instead of indulging. Jake didn´t drink. He liked being in control of his own body and two things took away from that: alcohol and sedatives. And he had enough of the latter during those six months in China. No reason to willingly go for the other one. "He looks happy. Let´s hope he will stop panicking now."

Another handshake and he stared at the man. Left hand. Another one came up, again extending his left hand, the hugs avoiding his right side. Maybe Piers wasn´t wrong about some things. They were avoiding his scarred arm. The same pattern repeated while Redfield walked over to him instead, raising his large hand to pat Jake´s shoulder as though in approval that the other didn´t care for.

"Nice job out there. I knew Sherry was onto something with you. Anyway, consider the mission accomplished. I want the report by the end of the week. The next mission... I´ll let you know when. Consider yourself officially a member of the B.S.A.A., Jake Muller." He almost sounded proud.

"I´m still not wearing the uniforms, so don´t even try." He thought he heard Redfield whisper something, but no other reply came for a while as he continued to watch Piers be greeted, the same left-hand pattern happening over and over again.

"I hope you reconsidered about the housing situation though. The B.S.A.A. apartments would really be the best option, much better than a hotel. That just seems like a waste of the money you earn, right? If you change your mind, let me know and you can move in within the hour." Again with this, Redfield has been going on about these apartment since Jake decided to give this whole thing a try in the first place. And while he was right, the hotel he was staying it did cost a bit, especially after a few weeks of living there.

"Maybe. Doesn´t sound that bad. Anyway, I think I´ll say goodbye to the Puppy and start on that report. I´m not big on parties." Jake walked away from Sherry and Chris, the crowd parting at he moved. His height helped, but it was his face that made them step aside without a word. A few glared, but he could not give less of a shit as he made his way to the man of the hour. Another jarhead soldier was shaking his left hand before patting his shoulder and moving away.

"I was right, Piers." Jake stared at him for a moment, watching the other slowly nod, a smile lingering on his face before his own lips curled into a smirk and he held out his right hand. "According to Redfield, we will end up working together from now on. Just don´t expect me to go so easy on you next time. You owe me a good fight, Puppy."

He saw the hesitation clearly before his hand was accepted, the grip strong and his gaze met with one full of resolve. "Just don´t go crying to Sherry that I kicked your ass, Jake." Like that would ever happened. Jake held his hand for a moment longer, making sure everyone around could see which limb he was touching before he let go and with the smirk still on his face walked towards the crowd, watching it part once more as he headed to the upstairs offices. Might as well get that report over with.

The only problem was that he had no idea what he should write. The sound of the party became fainted the more he moved down one of the hallways he recalled and it wasn´t long before he found a lounge, the lights off and not a soul around to bother him. All the chairs were on the tables and the only light coming in was from the windows lining one wall. Perfect. Jake closed the door and made his way over to the middle of the room before the small podium caught his attention.

Atop the few stairs sat a piano, probably for some entertainment nights or something. But it was there. Memories flooded him for a moment and he couldn´t resist the pull. With no one shooting at him, there was no danger to play just for a little while. All thoughts of writing a report were abandoned the moment he walked up to it and his fingers brushed the cover, flipping it open to reveal the keys. It only took hitting a few to also find out that it was tuned. Just this once it would not hurt.

The soft notes of the Moonlight Sonata filled the room since he decided to start off with something easy. Not even looking at the keys he closed his eyes and for a moment he was back in Edonia, his mother teaching a young boy the keys, how to play the simplest of melodies, then more complicated pieces as he picked up everything too quickly. She taught rich brats to earn some money, any other work too much for her body, but Jake picked up the slack. However he could Even in ways he could never tell her about. And now never would have the opportunity to.

The Moonlight Sonata changed into Nocturne as Jake opened his eyes. If she could see him now, would she be proud? Disappointed? His fingers moved over the keys for long minutes before the song changed yet again, Liebestraum filling the room as he got lost in the music. His mother loved this one. He still remembered how proud she was when he played it perfectly for the very first time. The sound of something falling over snapped him out of the memories and within a second he had a gun pointed at the source.

"S-sorry!"

"Puppy?" What the fuck was he doing here?

"Stop calling me that already. And yea, sorry. I kinda wanted a break from the party and went wandering around. Thought someone left the music on in here." Lifting up the chair he nearly knocked off one of the tables, Piers hesitated for a fraction of a second before walking over to Jake just as the man lowered the gun.

"I could have shot you and still probably could and get away with it." But he was already holstering the gun.

"You could, but then you would have wasted a trip to China. Since when do you play? It was really good. Not a talent I would expect from... someone of your other talents." That sounded worse than he intended it to. But there was a curious lack of gunshot holes in his body, so it seemed he got lucky.

"I can kill and play an instrument and I bet so can a few others here. You should go find out." Jake didn´t appreciate being seen in that vulnerable moment, being watched as he played, recalling private moments of his life.

"Would it kill you to open up for once and stop being a giant dick?" Piano forgotten for the few seconds, Piers glared at the man before the expression went back to neutral. "You play really well. And I mean it as a compliment. Where did you learn?"

So many snappy retorts burned on Jake´s tongue, some of which he might come to regret. Did he have to be a dick? No, but it was easier than having to pretend he cared. Opening up to someone only to end up betrayed. "My mother. She taught piano back in Edonia." Even before that. Playing the piano, her talent, was how she got to America in the first place and met his father, but that was all she ever told him.

"She had to have been really good to play like this. Maybe it runs in the family." Something other than Wesker´s blood, but he kept that part to himself. Piers looked at the piano, then at Jake and took a step back. "I´m gonna head back down since you obviously want to be alone. Sherry was asking where you went..." Walking to the door he opened it, but looked over his shoulder at the younger man. "Jake. Thanks for everything," his fingertips touched the scarf he still wore around his neck. "And I do mean everything."

"Yea... hey, Piers!" The sniper had not even taken a step out of the door before turning around. "Redfield wants me to write a report. How do I do that? He forgot something like instructions and unless he wants a few sentences of how everything happened... I guess I could use some help. Just this once, so I know what to do next time."

Piers´ face lit up with a smile as he let the door close on them, walking back to Jake. "Lucky for you, I wrote plenty of those. So I can definitely help."

"Just this once."

"Just this once."


	6. Moving in

Almost two weeks had passed and Jake was bored out of his mind. No new missions or any information at all that would pertain to something coming up. Everyone was busy, now with Nivans being back, keeping an eye on him and he could hear them talk in the locker rooms and hallways. Not even trying to be subtle. And some spoke with fear, worried about the man going berserk for no reason while others simply doubted his ability to be of any use to the B.S.A.A.. Redfield himself made no statement and the last time Jake spoke to him was when he delivered the report that Piers helped him with. There was a look of recognition in his face as he glanced over it before setting it aside. And that was it.

Jake spent his days either making use of the training facilities, which proved to be actually impressive. The equipment was in top shape and the shooting range itself was excellent. Most of the time he went anywhere, others vacated the place, not about to hang around the man whose father nearly destroyed the World. If only it would have stayed at that. Jake never cared enough about what people thought about him, as long as he had a job to do and money would be involved. But after the second time that he found a glued piece of paper with WESKER over his surname on his locker, it was annoying. No one admitted to having done it, of course.

After the first week he also decided to take Redfield up on the offer of that B.S.A.A. building. The hotel was not ideal and if this thing was going to be something long-term after all, Jake figured it couldn´t be that bad. A secretary he never met before took him there, had him sign off on a document he took the time to read, much to her annoyance and then he was left standing in the middle of what was probably the living room.

It had to be the nicest place he had ever been at.

The hallways lead straight into the living area and damn, did these jarheads have it good. A flatscreen television? That seemed unnecessary at best. Two black couches sat facing each other in the middle of the room, a low coffee table between them and a thick carpet all over. The carpet looked softer than some places where he had to sleep before. Setting his bag down, a black duffel that contained all his worldly possessions, Jake walked to the next room, the kitchen and once more was left impressed. Shiny and clean and with the large window also bright.

"Bulletproof glass..." Inspecting it made him wonder why it had to be put in and after a moment lowered the blinds. When he read over the documents he reached a point where there was mention of two people at once living together to promote tighter bonds and improve work relationships, but there was no sign of anyone else here. And after one week that didn´t change.

There was some food in the fridge; milk and vegetables and some apples, coffee in a large jar sitting on the counter and already open. One week was not enough to make the place look lived-in, but it wasn´t bad. The blinds were kept closed at most times though. The luxury of the place didn´t end with those two rooms. 

Jake couldn´t sleep in the bed the first night. The bed was soft, a standard queen-size, but his mind wouldn´t permit him to stop comparing everything to how he grew up and how he lived after starting his mercenary career. It was almost unfair. Two bedrooms, one for each person living there, connected via a generous bathroom that even held a few necessities that he didn´t touch. He had his favourite soap (which he was surprised to find sold in America, but equally pleased) and that was enough. 

It would be some time before he might consider this place more than a place to sleep and shower at and rather think of it as something akin to a home. At least there was no asshole around to bother him and no noise from any other apartments in the building reached his. He was alone most of the time, barely spoke a word to anyone and with Sherry away to do her own thing, Jake felt more and more lonely. At least with the mercenaries there were a few to talk to or spar with.

Well, not completely. After hours, when the lights were off and no one else lingered behind, Jake returned to the piano lounge to play. The first time he didn´t notice him at first and didn´t stop playing until he did, which prompted the man to leave after hesitating. The second time he sat closer, the scars on his face visible in the dim light, but no words were spoken and Jake just played. The third time he didn´t even open his eyes, just able to tell that he was there. He never thought Piers would be one for classical music, but the other probably thought the same about him. The fourth time, they exchanged nods.

That was last night and this time Jake just went straight to the apartment. At least Nivans seemed to be adjusting to his normal life well. Examinations every other day left the man annoyed, he could see that whenever he caught sight of him, but his test results were undeniably perfect. And so was his sharpshooting. He heard that he was a great sniper, but would never admit that those reports have been underrated. Same went for his physical abilities. No wonder he graduated at the top of his class. As loathe as he was to admit it, Piers was the epitome of a perfect soldier.

Sitting on the couch with a mug of coffee in one hand, Jake flipped through the channels in boredom. He should cook something to eat, having gone grocery shopping earlier (the concept of being able to buy what he not only needed, but just wanted, still bothering him more than he wanted to admit), but he was feeling too lazy. At least while hunting down B.O.W.s he was constantly on the move and didn´t have time to be bored. Though he had no time to relax or recuperate either.

A rattling noise from the hallway made him sit up, the mug quickly set on the table, replaced by his gun. He became quite fond of this one over the months. Although Elephant Killer was a ridiculous name as far as he was concerned, it was apt. Another rattle and a key was slid in, the lock turning after only a second. Gun pointed at the door he just waited for it to open and when it did, he wanted to shoot out of principle.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Puppy?"

"The hell does it look like?" Piers stepped in with a snarl on his face, setting down a heavy-looking box and slid an equally heavy bag off his shoulder. "I live here."

"Since when?" Gun still pointed at Piers, Jake stood up and walked around the couch to face the man as he closed the door and locked it.

"Since right now. And put that thing away. It wasn´t my decision either." That didn´t make the situation better. At fucking all. Jake kept frowning before actually putting he gun away after all and looked at the box. He really meant this, didn´t he? Moving in... so the partner system was a real thing after all.

"I thought you lived with your family or Redfield." The tone of his voice suggested they did more than just live together. "And why not choose an empty place?"

"My family lives at the other end of the country and Chris lives alone at his place. Look, either deal with it or stop being a pain in the ass. I´m not going anywhere." The annoyance in Piers´ voice matched his own and Jake watched him pick up the box first, carrying it over to the other empty room, then return for the bag. Just when he thought they were somewhat getting along, as long as both were silent and not talking, this had to happen.

"Did you move in yesterday or something? The bathroom´s nearly empty!" Piers surveyed the place briefly, but all he could find was a toothbrush and toothpaste, a bar of soap in the shower and deodorant. Opening the medicine cabinet he also found a box of ammunition and mouthwash along with a cheap disposable razor, but that was it. A towel was hanging to dry on the rack, but what Piers took the most notice of was the spotlessness of the place. Jake probably liked to keep things neat. 

"I don´t make it a point to drag around useless shit." Jake was aware of how few things he had. Clothes could be always replaced as could anything else. Ammo was useful, so he had a few boxes in several places, just in case. Not that the B.S.A.A. had to know about it. The only irreplaceable possession was the photo of his mother that he kept in the bedroom. Faded and torn on one edge, but the frame kept it safe.

"You aren´t kidding. What´s with all the ammo and the knife under your bed?" Jake tensed before rising from the couch, crossing the distance between the living room and his bedroom in several long strides. Piers was standing there, looking around as though expecting to see at least a poster or something, but his eyes found the photo instead. And then he had the audacity to reach for it before Jake could break his arms or snap his neck or stop him. "You got your hair from her then."

"Nivans, you have one second-"

"Look, I´m going to live here, like it or not, I don´t give a fuck. But we will end up working together sooner or later as well and it felt like we had an understanding going on, so give it a fucking break." Piers snapped at him as he turned around, effectively shocking Jake. He had guts, he would give him that. "You are not the bad guy you want people to think you are, but you play it really fucking well. So save it for those who actually believe that. I´m going to unpack."

Walking through the bathroom to the other bedroom, Jake stared after him before looking at the photo. The red hair in the photo was faded a bit, but still vivid. She stood in a garden with a bright smile, but that was before the sickness overtook her and drained her strength. Jake still recalled the sun that day and how nice it was. When the man offered to take a photo he was protective, but she agreed, paying the needed amount. The only photo he had of her. Of them together. He still recalled how warm her hand felt as they posed for the photo. 

He put it back down when he felt his eyes burn and blinked a few times until the sensation was gone. He could hear Piers talking to himself in the other room and after a moment followed. If the sniper could be as bold as to enter his room, might as well return the favour.  
"... the hell are you doing?"

Piers was on the bed, putting up a poster on one of the walls, a giant B.S.A.A. poster, but seemed to be having trouble. "The right edge is crooked... a bit higher-too high,... you´re good. Also what the fuck are you putting that up for?" Jake could not understand it at all. Never mind the fact that the other had books and clothes strewn around, already making a mess.

"Decoration. You could use some. And I like it. Once I put everything away, wanna get something to eat? I´m starving and it´s my turn to pay, right?" So loud and so cheerful, Jake just wanted to smack him with a newspaper.

"I wanted to cook, but-"

"You cook!?" Piers nearly slipped on the bed as he finished putting the poster up and jumped down. Still shorter than Jake he didn´t seem to mind the fact, already putting his clothes into the closet, hanging up his jackets. Jake glanced to the bathroom for a moment, already seeing another toothbrush and toothpaste (same brand and type, too) in the glass he used. And then a comb, hair gel, shampoo and shower gel, deodorant, two towels, a shaving kit, face lotion. How much shit did one man need?

"So what if I do?" Snarling he watched the man put his socks and underwear away into a drawer before setting a knife by the bed and sitting down, looking around in satisfaction.

"Nothing really. Didn´t think you´d be the type to wear an apron and cook."

"Because I don´t wear aprons. But don´t worry. I won´t cook for you since you seem rather reluctant to accept that." First the piano and now this. What did he do to deserve dealing with Piers Nivans of all people? Granted, he did a lot of shit... actually that might be it. Karma or however they called it.

"Hey I didn´t mean it like that! I can cook simple things too, nothing special though. How about I order pizza then? Saves you the cooking and everyone likes pizza. And maybe we can talk and just try to get along. We are both stuck here with each other and will be for a while, Jake."

"Not if I quit." This brought a frown to Piers´ face and blue eyes stared at the man, watching him step up until they were face to face.

"You´re not going to quit. And you wanna know why? Because you enjoy being around people, even if they are assholes, just so you can prove you are better than them. And you know you can actually do good shit and help when working for the B.S.A.A. And your skills are needed. So stop being a pain and tell me what pizza you want so I can order." 

The Puppy actually grew a backbone again. And maybe what he said was right, at least partially, but Jake wasn´t about to admit anything. Instead he lifted his arm and flicked his forehead as he walked away from the man. "Don´t know. Never had any, so pick whatever. And don´t leave a mess in the bathroom after you use it."

"You never had pizza? Are you joking?" The shocked tone was worth it, even if he failed to see what was wrong with never having eaten that. Shrugging he returned to the couch and his now lukewarm coffee, starting his search for something watchable once more while he listened to Piers talk to someone, either himself or someone on the phone. "Pizza will be here in twenty minutes. And just so you know, I´m not entirely happy about being stuck with you either."

"Could have fooled me. Barely stopped grinning since you walked in." Something was up and Piers wasn´t sharing the news, even though his face was constantly showing a smile, the corners of his lips tugging up, the end of a pale scar reaching the right one. There were a few possible reasons for that, but one stood out the most now that he thought about it. These apartments were for active B.S.A.A. members only, which meant-

"I got reinstated earlier today. I´m back on the roster and fully cleared for active duty." If Piers had a tail it would be wagging like crazy and the image of a damn excited pup would not leave Jake´s head.

"That´s good. So you´re all eager to go out and fight again?" As if he needed to ask.

"Of course I am! I´ve been out for so long! For a while I thought that I would never even shoot straight again, but now, with this... everything the same as before. It´s like nothing´s changed at all." Staring at his right arm he flexed his fingers a few times. "It´s all thanks to you."

The words sounded strange in his ears. Being thanked was still foreign and Jake shifted, somewhat uncomfortable, drinking his coffee as he settled on a news channel for now, turning up the volume a bit. "Don´t know what you mean, Puppy. So, back on the team with your Captain, huh?" Eager to change the topic, Jake kept his eyes fixed on the news anchor, but if Piers would ask what she was talking about, he couldn´t tell. 

"Back on Alpha team with Chris, yea. Along with you." Jake grimaced. Now this was news to him. Being on the same team as those two sounded like his personal little nightmare. "And we have a mission two days from now in Germany." And nightmare turned into hell.


	7. Coffee with milk; no sugar

The first night was equally awkward and annoying. Just being aware of someone else so close caused Jake to remain alert. A habit from his time with the mercenaries. Turning your back on the wrong person meant having it stabbed later. Or worse. Listening for any sounds, Jake stared at the ceiling in his room, covers halfway down his waist. It was silent. He couldn´t even hear any snoring from the other room, but doubted that Piers was awake. He was right. Pizza was good, though the topping selection on the flyer that came with the delivery was odd. Who would put fruit on pizza? Thankfully, Piers went with salami and a cheese special.

They talked, the same kind of awkward small talk that Jake disliked, but it helped the other relax. And when his mouth was full, Piers refrained from speaking, so that was a bonus. He was more bearable to be around when he would shut up, but the rest of the time he kept talking, filling the silence with talk of the B.S.A.A., the training of the past days and how good it felt to hold a sniper rifle again. His old one was destroyed, but the new one was the same make, the weight calibrated to his exact needs.

It wasn´t bad. Talking about weapons was fine with Jake and he would almost go as far as to call it interesting. Granted, some replies and comments were heavily laced with sarcasm and playful jibes, but nothing too intense. When Piers commented that Jake mellowed out over the past months he replied how the lack of annoying snipers was the reason, but instead of being upset, Piers laughed.

With no dishes to wash, after the last slice was gone, Piers went to shower first and Jake finished watching the news alone, but still didn´t pay attention. Alpha team. He met them first in Edonia what felt like ages ago. Then again in China six months later. Now he was supposed to be part of it? He lacked their training, the proper conduct, even refused to refuse the attire they all wore with such pride. It was only a matter of time before they would raise their voices and complain to Redfield until he would take Jake off the team. 

He kept thinking about this even as he fell asleep an hour later and no dreams came that night. Just dark sleep and nothing more. Waking up when his phone alarm went off he grunted. According to Piers they should pay a visit to Redfield today and he wasn´t looking forward to that. The talk from seven months ago had yet to happen and he wasn´t sure which one of them was avoiding it more. Or how much longer they could avoid it.

Piers was still asleep, as Jake found after peeking into his room, the sniper nearly face-down into the pillow, tangled in the covers and looking even younger. How was this guy older than him? Even Sherry was older. Closing the door, Jake stripped off his briefs as he stepped into the shower. He never took too long, washing himself taking less than a minute. Keeping his hair short helped. But today he just felt like maybe taking his time and for a while just stood beneath the hot stream, hands against the wall.

Retrieving Piers was just a test. This was a real mission and he had no idea how it would go. He was used to relying on no one else and working alone. Even with Sherry it took a while to get used to having her around. Sighing he rubbed his face, fingers lingering on the scar. Back when he told her the story of how he got it, he left out a few details that were now coming back more and more. But the B.S.A.A. were like one big family. At least Piers said that. There was no betrayal there.

Turning the water off he sighed and grabbed a towel as he stepped out, wrapping it around his waist after a moment and walked to the sink, wiping his hand over the fogged up mirror. The reflection mirrored his glare, but instead of the usual blue eyes there was a pair of glowing red, cat-like pupils staring at him. Startling he stepped back, but then the refection was gone, replaced by his usual one. 

"The fuck... maybe I´m still asleep." Had to be. Nearly knocking over the glass with the toothbrushes and toothpaste he cursed under his breath. He wasn´t going to let some kind of mirage mess with him. His glare only intensified as he brushed his teeth. What a way to start the day. He was taking longer than usually already and by the time he was dressed, Jake was more than ready for coffee. His attire barely changed over the past months. A couple short-sleeved black shirts, one of which he used for working out in, combat boots (a new pair he received a week ago still in the box), black pants and shirts akin to the style he wore after China. Simple and comfortable.

He also had that blue button up that Sherry got him, but had yet to wear it. And he probably never would.

Glaring at the kettle as he waited for the water to boil he contemplated waking up Piers, but decided against it after a moment. He was a grown men who could wake up by himself. But meanwhile Jake poured hot water into two mugs, the smell of coffee improving his mood by a small margin. Add some milk and done. Piers was out of luck if he put sugar into his. Maybe he had some sugar cubes in that box of his.

It was still early though and there was time to spare. The morning news only showed reruns of what happened. The familiar morning routine was not that bad and he actually relaxed after a while, playing with the revolver he always had nearby, waiting for any noises that would signify that the other was awake. Roommates. What a ridiculous concept, but he had to admit, it wasn´t as bad as it could have been.

He finished his coffee quickly and the other mug was merely warm now. Jake assumed too quickly that Piers would be up this early, but he still refused to go and wake him up. Instead he retrieved a few eggs and cheese from the fridge, along with vegetables and the ever-so-popular bacon. Americans seemed fond of this stuff. Good thing the apartment came stocked with pots and pans and he made good use of them.

And shortly after the first sizzle of bacon, not far from Jake the other man stirred, the delicious smell wafting from the kitchen waking him up. Piers slowly rolled onto his back, stretching his limbs and gazed at his arm in the morning light. Two weeks now and it still felt like his own. No sparks or even a small itching sensation and best of all; no nightmares. He couldn´t be more content after the news of his reinstallation. And now he could smell food? 

"Jake..." He really hoped the other wasn't being serious when he said he wouldn't cook for Piers. Mouth already watering he stood up, nearly tripping over the covers and left the bed messy as he just followed the smell to the kitchen. No apron, but he definitely knew his way around the kitchen. An empty mug was in the sink and another on the counter. Along with two plates.

"Mornin´." Piers yawned as he sat on one of the stools at the counter and watched Jake cook.

"I made coffee, but it´s probably cold. And no sugar either." Jake didn´t seem too bothered by it as he slid an omelette from the pan onto one plate, then poured more eggs into the pan.

"Oh? Thanks. I don´t really like sugar in coffee. Milk´s fine though. Thanks." Even lukewarm, he coffee tasted good. "Looks good. Omelettes?" 

"With cheese and vegetables. You can either eat or-"

"Looks great, really! I love omelettes." Not eager to find out what else he could do, Piers just sipped the coffee, looking to the news still playing on TV. A report of suspected bio-terrorist in south Germany.

"Black Forest. A heavily forested area. Probably where we´ll be going. Might want to brush up on your German, Puppy." He slid the omelette off the pan onto the other plate before turning the stove off.

"I don´t speak German. I know some French though." Cranking his neck as Jake brought the plates to the small table near one window he slid off the stool and followed, enticed by the smell, the full plates and the moment Jake sat down he did as well.

"Won´t help you there." Jake sounded almost amused as he started to eat and Piers was not far behind. The bacon came first, of course, and though he ate over a whole pizza yesterday, he was hungry again. Taking a bite from the omelette next he was not even surprised that it tasted pretty fucking great.

"What about you? Speak German?" Jake nodded, watching the news and Piers at the same time now. He didn´t even wash up before going to the kitchen. His shirt was rumpled and his hair a mess. Was this what mornings would be like?

"German and a few others." He didn´t elaborate. Mercenaries did have a lot of free time when not risking their lives for money. And so did captives. Half a year to learn Chinese would not be a bad trade-off, but he could do without being experimented on and toyed with.

"Piano, cooking, languages and the general mercenary thing that is now a B.S.A.A. thing. Sherry´s probably happy." Piers seemed all too content to stuff his mouth and Jake thanked the stars that the man chewed with his mouth closed.

"Sherry? What does she have to do with it?" Rising to make some more coffee, Jake leaned against the counter, now able to properly see Piers´ arm in the morning light. Thing silvery scars and faint discoloration, but that was it. It seemed even more normal than two weeks ago, as though adapting to the new form and even enjoying it. 

"Aren´t you two like dating?" Jake let out a small noise, a mix between a grunt and a snort as he refilled his mug and sat back down. Dating Sherry? That would be like dating his sister. Besides that, he couldn´t even believe that he was having this conversation with Piers Puppy Nivans of all people.

"No. And we never will. I could ask the same about you and Redfield and why you aren´t living with him instead." Phrasing it more as a statement than a question, Jake resumed eating as the news changed to something political he didn´t care for.

"Chris is my Captain and a friend. We are not-wait, why the hell did you even think about that?" The shock was rather surprising. But Piers couldn´t believe that someone thought that he was dating Chris of all people. He would do anything for the man, sure, but dating? "No, I´m not dating my Captain, Jake. And even if I were to ask him out he would-"

"I really don´t care, Puppy. Who you fuck is none of my business and I don´t plan on changing that unless you think of touching Sherry. Because I´m not letting that happen." Lips curling into a smirk he regarded Piers with a firm stare. "Other than that, I don´t care."

"I thought you two weren´t dating..."

"We aren´t. She´s not interest and neither am I. Look, she´s more like a sister to me and with this I´m done talking about it." Piers frowned for a moment, but ended up nodding. Whatever reason Jake had for not dating he girl was his own. 

"Why did you think I´m dating Chris?" Asking before biting into another piece of bacon he kept his eyes fixed on Jake. So far they managed to spend the night in the same place and not kill each other in the morning.

"Seemed kinda obvious. Always by his side, looking at him with those puppy eyes, sacrificing yourself for him and the B.S.A.A. that he co-founded, following him around and all that." Jake gave a shrug, done eating now as he rose from the table and brought his plate over to the sink. Another time he would let Piers do the dishes, but the sniper had yet to wash up and Jake didn´t want to waste time.

"What!?" Pears nearly choked on a cherry tomato half as he heard that and it took a moment and several gulps of coffee to get it down. "He´s my Captain! Of course I am by his side and follow him and he´s the pillar of the B.S.A.A.. I would do it all over again. But I do not have puppy eyes!" Finishing his food he stood up, staring at the back of Jake´shead as he walked to the sink about to set his plate own when he noticed something.

Jake had scars, the most prominent one on his face, but the one Piers could see right now was different. Thin and silvery and almost surgical, made deliberately and with precision at the nape of his neck where his hair ended. Leaning to the side, Piers stared at his hands, skin exposed up to his forearms and caught a glimpse of another one like that near his wrist. Was there a matching one on the other hand? It looked like it would usually be hidden by gloves.

"Piers. Puppy!" Jake took the plate from his hands when he startled the man and sighed. "Just go and get ready."

"Right." Forgetting what he wanted to say and missing completely what he said after he noticed the scar. Going to the bedroom he grabbed a change of clothes and set them on the counter in the bathroom before inspecting his reflection.

Getting used to his eye being different took a while. The scars were not bad, but after one of the Echo team members suggested using makeup to cover them he was determined not to. He chose the virus and the infection to save Chris and the world. And he would do it all over again, just like he told Jake. With a certain pride in his chest he stepped into the shower, trying not to take too long as he washed up. 

His hair always took a while, but he had enough practice to get it the way he wanted it to be within a minute now. The was helped and he was more than satisfied with this style. But then he glared at the mirror, frowned, scowled. "I have no idea what the fuck he means by puppy eyes." Piers muttered to no one, but his own reflection.

"Piers! Get a move on!" 

"Coming!"


	8. Hands on

The ride to the HQ was an uneventful one. Piers drove in the B.S.A.A. jeep he used to move his things and that was parked overnight in the underground parking lot. And Jake was surprised to see that he was quite the skilled driver. Maybe there really was more to the man than met the eye. A superb sniper, a skilled driver, determined and loyal and when it came to self-sacrifice there was no one who could surpass him. But the mere fact that he was actually noticing these things meant that he was going soft and spending too much time around people like Sherry and Piers. Mercenary Jake would not give a shit. B.S.A.A. Jake gave more than one.

Now they were sitting in a small conference room with three other men, waiting for Redfield to finally show up and do his briefing. Team Alpha. He met two teams before, and for the third time now he observed the unfamiliar faces. But this time they were mostly new to Piers as well. Their names... Jake didn´t remember, even though they actually went the length to introduce themselves. But that was where the pleasantries ended. They didn´t seem happy to see a former B.O.W. seated among them, or a mercenary who made the team for some reason within weeks of joining.

"Everybody here? Good. Let´s get to it." Redfield came in and unceremoniously dropped a stack of files on a desk. Dimming the lights he pointed his PDA at the wall behind him, showing a close-up map of the Black Forest area. "We received reports of suspicious activity in Black Forest. Then an increase in B.O.W. when we already had people in the area getting rid of them. There´s supposedly an old WWII bunker that we need to find and clear out since the activity has been centered around it. We leave tomorrow at 1800 hours. Questions?"

Jake was flipping through one of the files another man distributed around. A few blurred photos, witness reports, photos of mangled bodies and maps. Nothing special. Having information was nice though. Going in blind usually ended being a pain in the ass. "You want what´s in the bunker dead or incapacitated?" He didn´t even look up from the file as he flipped to the next page. He recognized the lumpy B.O.W., but hiding that thing in a forest or controlling it seemed like an impossible task.

"We are to eliminate any B.O.W. in the area and those responsible. We´ll be divided into two teams. One led by me, the other by Piers, so all of you will listen to your orders and follow them to a T. Read the file, memorize it, don´t be late." Looking around the room, Chris frowned for a moment, lingering on every member of Team Alpha. "Don´t die. Those are your orders. Dismissed." The men stood up, a few of them glancing to Piers as they made their way out and Jake was about to follow, mostly because there was nothing more to do, but Chris stopped him.

"A word, Jake." Was this it? Not the most appropriate of moments to have the talk, but fine, he could deal with that. Piers was right behind him, hesitating for a moment before stepping outside. 

"I´ll wait in the lobby." He heard him mutter, as if there was any need for that. They did come together, but that didn´t mean they had to return to the apartment the same.

"If this is about the uniforms, then forget it. I told you I´m not wearing it." Staring before Chris could open his mouth, Jake stared him, once more enjoying the faint superior feeling from being taller than the man, though he had nowhere near the circumference of Chris´ arms. "If this is about my father-"

"It´s not about either. Look, wear the uniform or don´t or customize your own, I don´t care. And we´ll have the talk after this mission is over. It´s long overdue anyway. This is about Piers." So that was it. The Captain´s puppy. Jake still wasn´t entirely convinced that the two of them were not secretly an item, but he didn´t care to find out.

"What about him? Seems to be doing fine. Talks too much, but that´s about it."

"Keep an eye on him for me. He´s back in charge of the men and they don´t trust him completely. Which is bad for the team." Narrowing his eyes, Jake leaned against the desk, staring at the man.

"He´s in complete control. It´s the same puppy that´s been following you around for years, just with a few more scars." Defending Nivans of all people. And he thought that after their morning together things could not be more bizarre.

"That´s not what I mean, Jake. I don´t want him to get hurt. He´s been through enough. I offered him a different position, one without being in the field, but he refused-"

"Of course he did. He´s been fighting B.O.W.s and J´avo for months on his own and resigned himself to be doing that until he dies. Being a solder is in his blood. And you wanted to take that from him?" Jake pushed himself away from the desk and stepped over to Chris, once more staring down at him. And for a brief moment he thought he saw the man flinch ever-so slightly. 

_I can see your father in you._

"I´m the last person who should be saying this, but the B.S.A.A., the whole fucking world, and especially you, Redfield, owe him. More than you can ever repay him. So better stop treating your best man like a fucking cripple. Don´t forget that there was only one monster around here and you killed him already. Unless you wish you didn´t." There it was again, only this time accompanied by widened eyes. 

Jake didn´t wait for a response as he walked past the man and outside, half-expecting someone to be eavesdropping, but there wasn´t anyone in the hallway. And he wasn´t going to wait for someone to come by. Instead he made his way to the lobby where Piers was chatting away with one of the men from the same team, probably the one put in the same group for this mission. "Jake. This is Edwin. He´s-"

"On the team with us, yea, I figured as much. Explosives. Just try not to blow me up or shoot me and we´ll be golden." The man´s glare turned confused as he tried to figure out whether Jake was joking or serious. Piers only sighed before shaking his head. "We still have a whole day before we have to head back. Might as well catch up on some sleep. I´m heading back, Puppy." Back to the apartment, he meant, already walking to the door while Piers hastily bid goodbye to Edwin, following Jake.

"Two teams, each with three people, two in charge. Explosives will attract attention and there are usually alternate ways to gain entry. You better find a good vantage point and take them out from afar. Just leave the rest of the work to me. It´s what I´m great at." Too bad he wasn´t getting paid as much as he would charge for this. 

Briefly he considered walking back before Piers continued to walk beside him and steered him to the car. So they were taking it again, great. Getting in he leaned back, tapping his fingers on the side of the door while Piers pulled out of the parking lot.

"You´re scared about being in charge." He didn´t need to say a thing, but the tension in Piers´ shoulders had not left since Redfield appointed him as a leader during the briefing. "You´ll be fine. Just do your thing. It´s what you´re best at."

First he defended Piers and now he was actually trying to cheer him up. Insanity really did run in the family, only different from his father´s. And that reaction Redfield had when he mentioned him was odd. Not entirely unlike back at the facility as he stared at him, maybe even seeing Wesker instead of Jake.

"Have you ever met my father?"

"No. I joined the B.S.A.A. after the Kijuju incident where Chris... where he killed him." Piers didn´t expect this kind of question. Or know what to answer. He never met Wesker, but read about him a lot. Not just the crazed traitor. There was more to the man than most people knew and briefly he wondered if Jake was aware of it. That there had to have been a reason for someone like his mother to get close to someone like Albert Wesker.

"I mostly know what was written about him in the official documents and what Chris told me. Sometimes he would drink too much and reminisce about the old days in S.T.A.R.S. and it didn´t all sound awful. They seemed to be kinda like the B.S.A.A. One big family."

"You forgot to add dysfunctional to that." Family. What a fucking joke. Jake had none. His mother was dead. His father was dead before he could even punch the bastard. The only father figure he ever had betrayed him. Maybe that was why it took him so long to accept that Sherry was determined to stay in his life. Touching the scar on his face he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"There´s a gym in the basement. I´m going there to work out when we get back. Feeling up for getting your ass kicked? You seem to be in top shape and it would be a shame to pass this up." And there was nothing better to do. Taking out some frustration sounded perfect to Jake.

"Only if you promise not to cry when I beat you into submission." Jake smirked, already having something to look forward to as Piers took them back to the apartment building, pulling back into the underground garage. Living with someone else was turning out to be easier than Jake expected, even if that someone was Piers. Or maybe because it was Piers, he wasn´t sure just yet. Once the car was parked he wasted no time getting out and heading to the elevators, holding it open until Piers joined him.

"So what did Chris want to talk about after the briefing?" Curiosity took the best of him and Piers looked to the other man, not expecting a straight answer.

"You." 

"... that´s all you´re going to say? What about me?" He couldn´t believe that Jake would just up and admit it and then not say a word. "What did he say? What did you say to him?"

"Sorry, I don´t really feel like talking. But maybe if you fight me and win I might change my mind." Jake calmly walked to the door of their place, unlocking it and headed straight to his room to change. Black combat pants and shirt. He did have a certain fondness for that colour. Waiting for Piers by the door he was not even surprised to see him sport the B.S.A.A. shirt and camo pants, a determined, if not pissed off expression on his face.

"You´re going down, Muller."

"Not today, Nivans." The two of them getting along was probably different from the idea others might have, but it worked for them. The elevator took them straight down to the empty gym. Ignoring the machines he made his way to the centre of the room and cracked his knuckles, then stretched his neck to either side. "I won´t be holding back."

"I wouldn´t expect you to." Piers was more than ready, punching the air a few times to warm up. A little fight never hurt anyone and he really wanted to punch Jake. Partially because it was long overdue, but also because he wanted to knock some sense into the man. And Jake felt the same way.

They stood facing each other for a few seconds, gauging the other´s reaction, then moved at the same time. Jake might have the height advantage, his close quarters combat training showing as he threw the first punch at Piers´ abdomen. But the sniper was not far behind. Stumbling from the blow he retaliated quickly, catching Jake in the side, trying to knock him off balance to gain the upper hand. Perhaps he overestimated his own abilities with this one as he watched the other step back and grab his arm, twisting him around before letting go.

Piers stumbled, falling to one knee before recovering just in time to dodge the next punch. Jake was good. Too good. But he wasn´t giving up when they only began. Back on his feet he tried going for another punch, aiming for his head this time, but Jake caught his wrist instead, twisting around to pull him forward until his chest met the man´s back and a second later he doubled over as he was kneed in the stomach. Stumbling again he swore, barely catching his breath as Jake knocked his feet from under him.

"You´re not giving me much of fight here, Puppy. We´ll have to train more often if you want to get any better." Jake taunted, stepping closer to Piers. 

About to lift him up he was taken off guard when Piers twisted his body, crashing into his legs and made him actually lose balance, but not enough to actually fall. Nice attempt though. It gave Piers just enough time to get back up, kneeling as though he was about to be knighted. There was no witty retort from the man, but instead he lunged at Jake, using his body weight to knock him onto the mats.

"Hah! Got y-"

"Nice try, but not good enough." Jake didn´t hesitate to grab the arm pinning him down and twist away from his body, forcing Piers to move off of him, pinning his arm behind his back as Jake sat on his lower back, effectively restraining him. The arm he was gripping was the right one and for a second he wondered if the premise of a threat could affect it enough to force it to change, but either that thought was wrong or he was not threatening enough. Piers shook beneath him, trying to struggle free, but eventually hit the man thrice and Jake let go.

"You know, you´re not bad." Jake stood up, holding his hand out to Piers. This was pretty fun. The last time he sparred for no reason was years ago. They could do this more often and he wouldn´t mind at all. Lifting the other man up he watched Piers rub his shoulder for a moment before staring straight at him a smirk on his face.

"Best two out of three?"


	9. Sore and excited

That night they both went to bed bruised and tired and oddly satisfied. Best two out of three became three out of five, then eventually eleven out of twenty. But the more they grappled, the more Piers seemed to improve, paying attention to what was happening and blocking more. He even managed to get Jake on his back a couple of times and win two, which was impressive considering he was not exactly hand to hand combat oriented. And all that time, Jake kept paying attention to his arm, waiting for any sign that being in danger would cause it to spark up and change, but there was not even static electricity present.

They argued a bit over who would get to shower first and in the end Jake relented after Piers said that he would wash the dishes after dinner. He planned on making him do that, but might as well get started on that. Pasta was simple enough and equally quick. They ate dinner in mostly silence, Piers going over the file while Jake once more watched the news, still waiting for anything new regarding Edonia. It has been so long, but his attachment to his home country was fading already. That night he slept much better.

Morning came quickly and Jake woke up at the usual time, heading to the bathroom first and caught sight of himself in the mirror. A few bruises from the sparring session were finally making themselves known and he could only smirk as he thought of how Piers´ body looked. He had yet to regain all the lost muscle-mass from lack of nutrition over long months in China, but he was definitely not bad. Maybe this living arrangement wouldn´t be that bad after all. But he would deny even thinking that once anyone would question it.

Surprised at the smell of coffee and something else, Jake only bothered with his pants before heading to the kitchen. "Didn´t think you´d be awake already." Piers was standing there behind the counter, working on something in the pan while handing Jake a mug of hot coffee.

"Couldn't sleep. I´m too excited to be going on a mission after so long." Jake took the mug after a moment, sitting behind the counter and leaned over just enough to see what Piers was making. The man seemed surprised that Jake could cook, yet here he was, making... pancakes? Crepes? One of those for sure, the shapes crooked, but nothing was burnt.

"Did you sleep at all?" He could probably do that on the plane, but at the same time it wouldn´t be the best. 

"I was exhausted and fell asleep before my head hit the pillow. At least it felt like that. You really did a number on me. Couldn't even sit properly when I woke up." Jake raised a brow at the comment, but Piers remained blissfully oblivious as he added another pancrepe to the two growing stacks. "I´m sore all over and bruised. You didn´t hold back at all." And he wasn´t upset about it either.

"Why should I? You can take it. What are you making, anyway?" Sipping the coffee he looked at the syrup Piers had on the counter, also chocolate and a can of whipped cream. How old was this guy?

"Started off as pancakes, but they were too thin, then kinda... didn´t stay in shape really. But I swear it´s still good. I may only know how to do a few things in the kitchen, but I am good at those. Do you want syrup or chocolate?" Where did he even get those? 

"Whatever´s fine. I don´t eat sweet things often so whichever is less." All this getting along was equally irritating and pleasant, to the point where he ignored both in favour of simply taking it easy. Piers was excited about his first mission since he was back with the B.S.A.A. and Jake was just apathetic towards his first mission with everyone else. 

He had to admit, the pancrepes were good. Neither thick enough for pancakes, or thin and crispy for crepes, he took to calling them this. The chocolate was sweet and according to Piers less so than the syrup which he drowned his own stack in. They were both sporting bruises from yesterday, too. "After this, we should head out around noon to the HQ. Get all the equipment and all that. I can´t wait to hold my rifle again. Had it all balanced out a few days ago so it´s just like the old one I lost."

How could he even be this excited? Jake grunted in response, trying to wash away the overly sweet taste with bitter coffee a few times. Equipment meant guns and he had his favourite. What more could he need? Maybe some meds, a few herbs would be nice so they didn´t need to rely on supplies. Piers would be taking care of the sniping and that Ed guy of the explosives. That was enough as far as Jake was concerned. He would deal with the rest of the mess.

\---

It turned out, there was more equipment involved than Jake assumed. His first mission, a test, involved none of this. Now he just watched the armourer list off the things on the pile. Tactical clothing (which he would never wear even though it _was_ black), radio, pills and weapons were all there. And a few more items, like emergency light and rope, flint and stone. Did they really need so much shit to lug around? Jake could hardly imagine being properly mobile while carrying all this.

The weapons did have his interest. The Tactical Rifle especially looked promising. He stopped explaining why he carried his own gun everywhere, or where he got it and the ammo necessary, and just let people wonder. Lifting up the radio he looked from it to Piers who was almost gushing over the sniper rifle in the dark grey case.

"So with this I will hear your voice in my head whenever you want me to? Joy." Sarcasm dripped off his tongue as he set the radio down and honestly, the only useful thing he could see here was the pills. Everything else was unnecessary. "I´m not carrying all of this around. There´s better ways to take guys out than going in guns blazing, even if that is more fun."

"Also these. That´s all for the list. Don´t damage it as much as usually. Captain Redfield took care of everything else." The armourer set two last things atop of the piles. One a plain black tactical shirt with the B.S.A.A. logo stitched onto the sleeve. Looked like a three-quarter sleeve. That... wasn´t actually bad. Jake was loathe to admit that he liked it, even with the stupid logo. But the other thing was a combat knife. The blade looked useful, sharp and strong, but as far as Jake recalled, Redfield himself carried a different knife around. The handle was not the same and the shape didn´t match this one. 

"That´s all you´re getting, so off you go, don´t get killed or hurt, whatever. Shoo." What a pleasant man. Glaring at the pile he was tempted to leave it all just here, but in the end gave in, following Piers´ example and brought it all out and to the car. The sniper was excited as the hour of departure grew near and Jake just didn´t feel like ruining that.

"You know, I know you told Chris that you won´t be wearing the uniform and all, but you should at least try the shirt. I mean it s black and so are the pants, right? And it would help identify you in the forest, so-"

"I get it, Piers. I´ll think about it if you stop talking now and just drive." Jake kept the knife in his lap while the rest of the things were tossed in the back. "These are custom made for the B.S.A.A., right? But the one Redfield uses is different. What´s up with that? Special Captain privileges?" Or maybe some kind of founder memento?

"Oh, that one? It´s from his S.T.A.R.S. days and he says he likes the feel and weight better. As long as it works, who cares, right? Didn´t think you´d notice something like a knife though." Jake did notice. After walking into Redfield´s office without knocking and finding him staring at the blade as though it held some kind of answer he so desperately sought.

"Guess I´m just that observant." He heard a chuckle and glanced over to Piers, wondering if anything could even ruin his mood today. The time for departure was drawing near and Jake was as calm as ever, almost bored in a way and when the airport came into view he sighed. So this was it. Another long flight.

\---

Germany was colder then America this time of the year. The events of decades past made people stare after the cars as they moved through smaller towns and villages, but that was it. Piers was behind the wheel again, already changed into tactical gear and Jake sat right there beside him. In the end he gave in. The pants were not bad and the shirt was actually pretty comfortable. The jacket was his own though and he refused to even touch any other than his own holster. Edwin kept rambling on about the mission and how he measured the right amount of explosives for every kind of door, right to the point where Jake threatened to punch him if he didn´t shut up for at least an hour.

The base was almost familiar in appearance and Jake smirked briefly, finally getting out of the car. The other half of the team arrived shortly after, Redfield looking around. They have been driving since the plane touched ground and it was barely noon. Not the best time to go anywhere. Jake stood off to the side as the rest gathered in the biggest room an after an inquisitive glance from Piers, followed inside as well. Being a part of something was still new.

"Another report came in. Two miles from here a B.O.W. was spotted and some livestock went missing from a nearby village. Don´t engage hostiles if you´re alone. Listen to the team leader. Any information regarding the source of the virus is to be brought back on a disk, so think before you blow up any computers that could be vital. Here and here-" Chris pointed at the glowing map on the table they were all gathered around. "Are the bunker entrances. Heavily guarded, cameras and weaponry. We need to get in."

Jake smirked. This was more like it. Cameras were easy to take care of, he wasn´t worried about that, even if disabling one would trigger an alarm. As long as he would find the control room it would be fine. The guards were expandable as well. If Piers would snipe them out from afar, Jake could move in out of sight of the cameras. Any locked door could be opened via explosives and any attention brought on by the noise would be taken care of as well. 

"Questions? No? Then wait for the signal in two hours. Dismissed." The past few weeks he had seen Redfield sit behind a desk and work on forms and files and it was easy to forget that he was Captain for a reason. It all made sense now. Jake watched the man gain respect without even trying as he moved out of the tent and once more caught sight of the knife he carried. Definitely not the same as he had been handed. But it was just a knife, so why did he feel so weird about it. Something about it simply struck him as odd.

"Jake? Come on, let´s grab something to eat before we move out. Ed´s been telling me about some new kind of gunpowder paste he had been using to silence the explosions. Forty percent less noise. Sounds pretty good. The less attention we draw the quicker all this will be done." Piers kept talking as Jake silently followed, almost wondering why the sniper didn´t go with Redfield. None of his business though.

"I wonder about that. My gun is not exactly the quietest." Far from it. But he could always just use his hands to take guys out, no problem there. He had yet to meet someone more resilient than the damn Ustanak and that fight was one he still thought of rather fondly. Even if the monster came close to killing him several times.

"You look rather calm. I was much more nervous before my first mission. And excited, too." Piers kept rambling as they walked into the small canteen area.

"I´ve been killing guys since I was... fifteen I guess. Maybe fourteen. I don´t remember. But the circumstances were different." Much different. Upon Piers´ inquisitive look he shook his head, having no desire to go down that memory lane. Some things should never be revealed. And this was something he didn´t want him to know about, so he better not ask-

"How did you even become a mercenary? You were just a kid, right?" And there it was. Jake tossed the apple he got in the air before gripping it tightly in his gloved hand.

"Killed a merc. Replaced him. Let´s leave it at that."

"But-"

"Puppy, that´s not something I want to think about or tell anyone about, so drop it. I did what I had to do to get money for my mother´s treatment and in the end it wasn´t enough, so don´t." The grip on the apple bruised the fruit as he stared at Piers, aware that the last member of their three-man team was awkwardly standing close.

"Right... sorry. Hey, let´s go over the 3D map to see the best vantage point for that entrance." The transparent attempt to change the topic was actually welcome and Jake grunted, sitting at one of the benches while Ed pulled the map up.

Some questions should never be answered. Which was why he had yet to talk to Redfield about his father. But after this mission, he was done avoiding it.

"Jake, if you squeeze any more you´re going to have apple juice all over yourself." Looking to Piers he questioned if that was worry in his eyes, but ended up smirking before biting into it.

"Don´t worry about me. Eat your sandwich, Puppy."


	10. You owe me a shirt.

Black Forest was a beautiful place, full of thick greenery and tall trees that cast dark shadows in the afternoon sun. The perfect place for a group of assholes to hide and experiment. Alpha Team split up after a while, one under Redfield´s command while the other under Nivans´. Jake didn´t speak much until they parked the jeep near the edge of the road and got out. Better leave it here than make noise. Getting the upper hand was important and being noticed would only cause trouble later on. They moved swiftly to the bunker entrance until Piers raised his hand.

"This is the good spot. I have a clear shot for the entrance. Jake, wait until the outside guards are taken out, then move in and try to avoid the camera. Ed, go with him and try to stay out of sight. If you engage hostiles I´m moving in." Jake was surprised to hear how confident he was, but the commands made sense. It should be easy enough. "We are to clear out the bunker and recover any information about the origin of the virus and the source. Go."

Jake nodded, glancing to Ed who was more than ready to follow. Only once the man asked why he wasn´t wearing the same attire as everyone else when one glare silenced him. He didn´t seem bothered by anything else, especially by being put on the same team with Piers and Jake. "So, you´re pretty good at combat then? The whole shooting thing?"

"Shh. Lower your voice for now and stay here." Jake leaned against a jutting stone, peering out from behind it. A single armed man was patrolling down one side of a concrete building, moving slowly, relaxed instead of on alert. A second later he slumped down with a hole through his head. Piers really was good. "Stay here until I give the signal. There are others that Piers won´t be able to reach unless he moves." Inside the building, he could see the movement, still no rush or alert detected.

Jake moved swiftly, jumping down from his spot and quickly checked for anything useful on the man´s remains. Old habits die hard, especially when you were a mercenary. An access card was liberated from the man´s pocket and he pulled down the scarf from his face before he disintegrated completely. J´avo. "Piers, we got J´avo here. Shoot any chrysalid because I´m really not in the mood to be dealing with those large assholes."

"Got it. Ed, seen those before? Go for the head. That´s your best bet. Stick to Jake." He had to admit that Piers definitely sounded confident. Jake watched the first of the men inside the bunker step out, still walking slow, a rifle swinging in one hand as he carelessly roamed. He waited only until he walked around the corner before smashing his head against the wall. The loud crack was enough to attract the other one, but he barely made it two steps before falling as well. "Got your back. Outside is clear. Hit the camera and move in."

No more access cards on either, Jake tore the wires from the camera trained at the entrance and went inside. There was no other sound, but he knew better than to rush. He could tell Ed was following behind as he moved to a heavy door off to one side. "Elevator. Piers, we´re going down. Don´t do anything stupid."

"Hey, I´m in charge here." 

"Right. Don´t do anything stupid, Puppy."

"Fuck you, Jake." Smirking, Jake slid the card through a panel and the elevator doors slid open, inviting them in and Jake did not hesitate to take it. It didn´t go too deeply down and he took the moment to check his gun.

"You know, I would prefer it if you stay back a bit. I work better when I don´t need to worry about someone else getting hurt. Think you can do that?" Looking to Ed as the elevator stopped, Jake walked out, followed by the other man. 

"I can at least watch your back." He almost sounded offended. Jake gave a nod and moved forward. A wide hallway, no rooms, no breaks in the walls, another heavy door at the end. No opening that without some explosives. "Leave this to me." 

"Planned on it." Watching him set something by the hinges, Jake remained a safe distance away when two red lights blinked and then popped. Like a firecracker, maybe softer, but still enough to unhinge the heavy door. "Now that´s impressive. Piers. We´re inside."

Jake did not wait for a confirmation, even when it came, already inside and ducking behind a wall as a shot barely missed him. Even a small explosion drew attention. Scrambled German flew around as he sighed. "Eindringlinge! Schie-" He stopped the yelling with one well-aimed bullet before ducking again. Thankfully, Edwin listened to him and remained outside the heavy door for now, occasionally peering out to shoot at the J´avo, but by then Jake was moving forward.

This was what he was good at. This was what he spent years doing. There was barely enough cover to hide behind, but he didn´t care, shooting his way through the constantly moving J´avo, just glad that there were no mutated ones just yet. Again and again he moved forward, the sound of disintegrating bodies reaching him. The stench was always the same. Another shot and he had one last bullet before he had to reload. Two J´avo to his left, another on his right.

He ducked backwards when the two shot at him, the bullets hitting a different target instead and he heard the J´avo yell out before he fired the last bullet at the two. "This baby sure packs a punch." Both fell back, twitching as they too began to disintegrate, the virus no longer able to hold the body together or mutate any further. Jake took the moment to reload as Ed joined him.

"That was disgusting."

"Get used to it. Room´s clear. Check the place for anything useful, I´m going for the control room. Piers, how are you holding up?"

"Took out another guard. And there´s a sign not far from the bunker. Vorsicht... Bären? No idea what it says." The corner of Jake´s lips twitched.

"Warning. Bears. Better keep an eye out. They should be asleep, but it´s not that cold yet and the noise might have drawn them out." If the virus didn´t get to them first. Mutated bears sounded interesting to see though.

The next room was empty and there wasn´t anything other than some shelves and boxes, not even a camera or a cobweb in the corner. Moving swiftly onto the next he shot the J´avo in the back before he had a chance to turn around. This was going pretty well so far. Another shot, but no access card yet. Maybe there were no more needed. "These old bunkers weren´t built to house many people." There shouldn´t be too many more areas. Another emptied chamber and a room littered with remains and a giant mess.

"Kontrollraum. Piers, we found the control room. Any bears?" Grinning he kicked the door open, shooting the waiting J´avo through the head and stepped inside. The system was outdates, grainy images on screen, but still good enough. A code was scribbled down on a note on the command desk that he picked up.

"Fuck off. Turn the cameras off and clear the place out. Need help?" Piers sounded almost annoyed now, probably miffed that he was stuck in one place. But Jake preferred it this way and something told him, so did Redfield. 

"Nah, just keep an eye out for any wildlife. Cameras are down." Leaving the room behind, Jake joined Edwin near another door with planted explosives. Now this one looked important. Nodding he turned away as the hinges were blown off and quickly moved inside. Another hallway that split into two. "Schlaufräume, Waschräume... so we got bedrooms and bathrooms down to the left. Let´s clear those out before we move on." 

They were both empty, the cots in the bedroom filthy and the entire room yielding nothing of interest. Same with the bathrooms, only that the stench was far worse. Jake eagerly headed down the other hallway and already heard voices behind. Someone was barking orders, but the door was too thick for them to be audible.

"Seems like we found the asshole in charge of these assholes." Muttering to Ed, Jake raised his hand, showing him three fingers. Then two. Then one. Kicking the door down he shot first and did not ask any questions, ducking as he ran out of bullets and quickly reloaded he tried to keep an eye on Ed. He was pretty good when it came to shooting, but his aim could use some more work.

Another bullet and he jumped over the table, moving straight into the fray. Sometimes he just had to get his hands dirty to get things done. And seeing the computers in one corner he wasn´t about to risk losing the data they came to retrieve. Thank fuck for gloves. "Shit, go for the head!" Jake called out too late though, Ed´s bullets missing the original target and Jake watched as the J´avo began to mutate even further, his body encased in a hard chrysalid. Which one would this be? Jake shot at the head, but another J´avo got in the way and he took that one out first as the chrysalid began to crack.

"Ed, get to the computer and save the data!" Relying on someone else was a disturbing feeling and Jake stomped on the head of one twitching body as he moved around the chrysalid. A familiar shriek pierced his ears and he winced before a hail of needles descended. The aim was off just enough to allow him to dodge behind an overturned desk. "Ed! The data!?"

"This shit´s slow! It will take a while!" Well, fuck. The Strelat was already out of the chrysalid, shaking its ugly head before it swung its tail and came too close to shattering the computer screen. Jake emptied the remaining bullets in the chamber into the thing´s body, watching chunks blow off before it twitched and shrieked again.

"Shoot!" Ed didn´t need to be told twice, aiming for the Strelat and this time hit the target properly all over. Twice it attempted to shoot off more needles, but was forced back as Jake reloaded, for once appreciating the combat belt´s ability to store ammo. Another swipe of the tail, this time aimed at him, but he was ready. The wind was knocked out of him for a second before he gripped the tail, ignoring the disgusting feeling he had even through the gloves, and pulled the mutated J´avo back, causing it to stumble back and expose the vulnerable underside. 

"Finish it!" Ed opened fire again, emptying the entire magazine into the Strelat as Jake held on, preventing it from fleeing and then the creature tensed and he could feel it softening between his hands. Letting go he breathed a sigh of relief as it finally twitched one last time and died.

"Piece of shit. Alright, we should be done here. How´s that data coming along?" Wiping his gloves on the carpet he grimaced and shook his head.

"Got it all. What should we do about the computer?" Jake only gave him a smirk and Ed planted an explosive on the machine, stepping back just enough to blow it up. 

"Piers, we cleared the bunker and found the data. Any news from Redfield since we´re done here?"

"Chris´ team found nothing so they are headed this way as backup. Any minute now. Come back outside." Piers sounded happy now and Jake could see why. This was a pretty quick job and easy to boot. A few J´avo were nothing to what they have gone through before.

The eerily silent bunker was only disturbed by the sound of the two men walking. The stale air was disgusting and Jake was more than happy to be back outside. No more noises and the clear forest air was refreshing. "Much better. Alright, let´s get the puppy and we can meet up with Redfield and the others."

"You know I noticed that you keep calling him that. Is that some kind of pet name?"

"Pet name?" Jake looked at Ed, almost confused by the question. "No, it´s because he´s... it´s a long story. Don´t worry about it." He didn´t feel like explaining his reasoning for calling Piers that. How it began and how it changed. Joining the sniper he used a few leaves to wipe his gloves clean while Ed handed over the chip with the data.

"Great work. Alright, let´s head back to the compound and see what´s on this. Maybe there are others around." Piers pocketed the chip and gave the area a once-over look through his scope before leading the way back to the car.

They were halfway there, Ed talking about how it all went down inside while Jake followed, Piers close behind him. Their first mission as team Alpha members was a success. And it felt good. Everything went well, no one got hurt...

Jake tensed, listening for something as he looked around. They were surrounded by thick trees and bushes, the sun already down. Something was off. There was a noise nearby, a grunting of sorts, but nothing he heard before. Ed continued walking down the forest path, chatting away to anyone who would listen and Jake stopped.

"Something wrong?" Piers stopped right behind him, looking around. Jake was staring at the mess on his hands and the blood that lingered. Fuck.

"Piers!" He grabbed the man without thinking, pulling him away from where he stood and pushed him to the ground behind him, turning his back on the large black mass that rose from the grass. A roar sounded and there was a sharp pain near his shoulder, but he had worse.

"Told you there´s bears! Ed! Get this son of a bitch!" The bear roared again, the sound almost disturbing and Jake turned just in time to dodge to the side before another swipe of the claw would get him. At least it didn´t get Piers before. "I didn´t sign up for this to deal with the local fauna!" Gritting his teeth he bounced back to his feet. 

The size was almost the same, the blood thirst maybe less than that of the Ustanak and the reach and speed not a match. So Jake did what he was best at. 

Punching a bear felt like hitting a hard, warm carpet. The sharp teeth cut through the glove, but he was already reaching to punch it again, dazing the bear enough for Ed to shout to get down. And Jake did, for once listening as the man opened fire and the force of the bullets knocked the beast down with one last grunt.

"Jake!" Piers was back on his feet and right beside him, eyes wide as he stared at the blood on the man. "Your shoulder´s bleeding." Ignoring the much more obvious fact that Jake saved him, the sniper took the pills from his pocket, forcing three them into Jake´s hand. One would have sufficed though.

"It´s fine. Just a scratch."

"You punched a fucking bear!"

"Now I can check that off the bucket list. Look, let´s just leave here before more will come. Someone can pick up the body so I can make a nice rug for our place, but I would really like to get the blood and guts off of me now." 

"Take the pills first."

"Piers, I´m-"

"Take the damn pills before I force them down your throat!" Piers was glaring right at him and for a moment Jake thought he saw worry there. Staring at him for a moment he popped the pills into his mouth and swallowed them dry, the bitter taste no longer affecting him. Within seconds he could feel the skin cease burning and the broken flesh mend. Too bad they couldn´t do anything about the stench.

"There. Happy?"

"Very. Alright, let´s go. I´ll see if we can send someone for that thing." Nodding to the dead bear he grimaced. The claws were huge and bits of black were stuck to the humongous paw.

"Sure, whatever. Now I have a hole in my jacket. And the new shirt." Jake complained, voice laced with humour as he followed the still shocked Ed back to the car.

"Jake?"

"Hm?"

"You punched a fucking bear in the face. I will buy you ten new shirts for that." This time, Jake could not fight the smile. Good thing piers couldn´t see it.

"I´m fine with you doing the dishes for a week instead." Piers´ groan was music to his ears.


	11. Puppy eyes

"He did what!?" Chris Redfield looked from Piers to Jake, eyes wide as his second-in-commands debriefed him about what happened, including the later incident with a rather displeased bear.

"Jake punched a bear. The stench of blood was probably the reason it followed and had he not pushed me to the ground I would be in deep shit right now." Jake rolled his eyes, arms crossed over his chest. 

"It was pretty badass sir. I never saw anyone punch a bear."

"That´s because people normally don´t punch bears! Jesus Christ, just... go and clean up or something. Punching a bear..." Chris shook his head, for the moment undecided on whether he should be annoyed or impressed. He did ask Jake to keep an eye on Piers, but not at the expanse of his own life! Though he looked fine...

"I´m gonna look over the file and see if there´s anything else we can do while here. The rest of you are dismissed until further notice. Go do something that doesn´t include bears."

"Hey, I still want that fucker made into a nice rug." Jake called after before Piers pulled him out of the room, fighting a smile that threatened to appear on his face. Chris was torn. On one hand, the mission was a success, his team was getting along nicely and everything was working out fine. On the other hand, Jake and Piers were being almost too friendly and the former mercenary got mauled by a bear protecting him.

For now he ignored the nagging feeling in his head and turned on his laptop, sliding the chip in to see what the data was all about. 

\---

"See? I´m perfectly fine. Didn´t even need those tablets. What a waste." Jake inspected the tears in the shirt, wondering how he could mend them. He never was good when it came to using thread and needle, but it could be done. The jacket might be a lost cause though.

"Waste? You were bleeding and just punching the thing tore your gloves!" Piers was packing back and forth, his gear on one of the chairs in the room, his rifle right beside it and a most pissed off look on his face. 

"Forgot about those. Another thing to replace. Damn. I thought I would be earning money doing this whole B.S.A.A. thing, not spending it on ruined gear. I should go back to being a merc."

"And die fighting against the B.S.A.A.? Are you insane?"

"Runs-"

"Don´t you fucking answer that, Muller." Something was obviously eating the man up and even Jake could tell. The shower did him some good and he managed to put on a spare pair of his own combat pants, then his usual shirt, the suspenders hanging by his waist. "You could have died!"

"Because of a bear?" Now he was being ridiculous, panicking for no reason. Staring at Piers, Jake crossed over to him in a few quick strides and pushed Piers against the door, pinning him there by the shoulders as to force him to stand still and look at him. "After all I have been though I´m not going to die to a fucking bear, Puppy. You better remember that!"

They kept glaring at each other and Jake was convinced that if Piers would want to he could easily break free. Something was up.

"Is it that you didn´t want something to happen on your first mission back? With you in charge of two people and one getting hurt, is that it? The reason why you´re being so fucking unbearable? Well, I got news for ya, Puppy. I´m expendable. No family, my blood already used for what it was good, the only skills I have are as fodder. And I know it." Letting Piers go he stared at him for a moment. "So if I die, nothing will change. You however, are important. Don´t forget that."

Jake stumbled back as something firmly connected with his cheek, hard enough to make his head spin for a moment. Did Piers really just punch him? And it was not gentle love-tap, either. 

"If you´ll ever say shit like that again I´ll kill you myself! You are not fucking expendable, Jake! Your skills are indispensible and you do more than fight, or was the whole piano just nothing? And what about Sherry? Does she mean nothing to you?" Piers was panting and his hand shook as he resisted the urge to punch Jake again.

"Then we have a deal."

"What?" 

"The only one who can kill me is you." Jake was insane. He had to be. And while it wasn´t a Wesker-level of insanity, it had to be something. And then there was the fact that the man was smiling now. "I lived through some shit, Puppy, and if I survived long enough to get to this point, then I don´t plan on dying anytime soon." Wiping a droplet of blood from his lip, Jake retrieved his gun and holstered it.

"You-"

"Piers, Jake! Grab your shit and meet outside in five minutes. Captain´s orders. Mission is done and we are leaving already." Piers recognized the voice as the name of one of Alpha´s members, but his eyes remained fixed on Jake.

"Are all missions this quick? Seems like we just got here." It has been several hours since their return to the base though. Almost like he wanted to escape or something. Not that Jake was opposed to that idea.

"Sometimes. Some take even less time, depending on the mission. I guess Chris found what he wanted... and this isn´t over yet, Jake." Rolling his eyes, the man went to get his things, which there was few of anyway and Piers put his gear back on so he wouldn´t need to carry anything. Two minutes later they were outside just as Chris joined them.

"All info has been gathered, so we can go back. As far as missions go, this was a success. The bunker will be filled and rendered useless and there were no other reports from the locals or our affiliates. Plane leaves in an hour, so let´s get a move on." Jake watched him get into one of the jeeps while Piers headed to the other and he knew which one to ride in.

"Try not to hit too many bumps in the road, Puppy." Muttering he leaned back, closing his eyes. His jaw felt fucking sore and his lip tasted like copper. Where was a punch like this during their sparring session before?

\---

Planes were so boring. The in-flight movies sucked and Jake was done with reading on his phone. The blue light hurt his eyes. And since he wasn´t one for talking, his companion was asleep and obviously content. Piers looked rather relaxed when asleep, chin burrowed into his scarf. Jake watched him for a while, noticing the little things about his face that he never cared for before.

Like how long his lashes were. Jake knew that Sherry was into the whole makeup thing (and once spent an hour waiting for her outside one of those makeup stores, scaring away staff and customers until she was done), but Piers had the kind of lashes that any girl would want. Long and thick and dark, the overhead light casting shadows from them onto his cheeks. No wonder it made his eyes stand out so much. Green and silver. Not a bad combo.

There was another thing that he noticed. On his left cheek, Piers had two beauty marks close, just tiny dots that were not visible from further away, but right now he could definitely see them. He had a few others on his body, as Jake noticed while he was out back in China. But he wasn´t concerned with counting them back then. And now there was no opportunity for something so ridiculous.

He was losing his mind. Officially now for sure. Sighing he stared out of the window, the endless sea of sky and clouds unchanging. With a grunt he stood up and walked down the narrow corridor to the lavatory, locking the door as he leaned against the sink. At least the B.S.A.A. planes were not as bad as commercial airlines.

Splashing cold water on his face he sighed, rubbing his hands over his short hair a few times before grabbing a paper towel and drying off. But as his eyes gazed into the mirror, he once more saw the reflection of a man he never met. Crimson cat-like eyes, blonde hair slicked back and the same strong jaw and a matching scowl. But the most prominent feature of his face wasn´t there. His scar was missing. Slamming his palm against the mirror he felt it crack and pulled away a moment later His own reflection split in two.

"Fucking hilarious. This altitude is just bad for my head." Might as well return to Piers and prod him awake for some entertainment.

\---

"Come on, Jake, it will be fun. The whole team will be here and it will be a great way to get to know them. And they all want to hear how you sucker-punched a bear." Piers spent the past five or so minutes trying to convince him of how great this outing would be. But only managed in making it seem like a chore.

Apparently it was normal for the teams at B.S.A.A. to get together after a mission sometimes and just relax, wind down and drink and talk. But Jake didn´t drink or need to wind down. And least of all; talk. He had no desire to do that. "You were there, you can tell the story. Feel free to embellish as you see fit."

"Jake, that´s not the same. And they actually want to spend time with you. We are a team, all of us and that includes you, asshole."

"I didn´t know that sighing up for the B.S.A.A. meant attending tea parties." Flipping through the channels again he hoped Piers would just let it be.

"There are annual holiday parties. Like for Christmas and Valentine´s day." Piers almost sounded hopeful and Jake made the mistake of looking at him.

_Fuck._

It shouldn´t affect him when Piers looked at him with those puppy eyes, but it did. Staring at him with those eyes surrounded by his ridiculous lashes and almost pouting, though by now Jake knew that was just the way his lips were. What an asshole.

"Fine. But if they piss me off I´m leaving and you will never try to make me come to any of these things again." Turning the TV off he rose from the couch with every bit of annoyance in the movement he could possibly show and reached for his gun.

"Jake. It´s a bar. You don´t need that." He might be right. But Jake still didn´t like it. Leaving it behind he went to put it into the bedroom instead and grabbed his jacket, muttering about a waste of time as he joined Piers. "We´ll walk since there´s alcohol and all that. You´ll have fun, I´m sure of that. They are not bad people and Chris will be there as well."

"Great. Sounds like a great time. Fucking great."

"You said great three times, Jake."

"I know." Locking up he didn´t even have to glare, the pissed off expression seemingly etched into his face as he walked beside the sniper to the bar he mentioned. No car, there was no need to. At least the place wasn´t far. 

The Shack was nothing special as far as bars went. Dark, smelled of cigarette smoke and alcohol and the music was just loud enough for people to talk. Jake was not impressed and ready to turn around, but Piers was already heading to one of the larger booths that had the other four members of the team already there, beer glasses with varying amounts of the beer itself in front of all of them and someone was smoking.

"Sorry we´re late. Jake needed some convincing."

"Still do."

"Shut up." Jake grumbled as he sat down, still trying to figure out why he gave in to Piers and his stupid Puppy eyes. A waiter came by to get their order, emptying the ashtray at the same time.

"I´m fine with what they are having. Jake?"

"Soda."

"This is a bar. If you´re underage to drink-"

"Just because I don´t drink doesn´t mean I´m not old enough to do so." Jake was really not in the mood and the waiter frowned, about to retort with something when Redfield was the one to speak up.

"He´s old enough to be in the B.S.A.A., he´s old enough to drink and sit there with a damn coke or whatever. Heard of designated drivers?" The waiter shot him a glare next and Jake heard him mutter something about assholes before leaving, returning shortly after with the beer and a bottle of coke. Perhaps he should have specified what he wanted, but at this point he didn´t care.

"So, since Ed here didn´t have a good view of the bear and Piers was on the ground, how about you tell us what happened? Because I don´t know about you guys, but I never met someone who would just punch a bear. Why not shoot it?" Jake´s eyes shifted from the condensation on the bottle to the man speaking.

"Who are you again?"

"Simon. And this is Cole." Cole nodded, reaching for another cigarette, taking a deep drag. "Heard you also went hand to hand with one of those B.O.W.s months ago. Pretty good for a kid."

"Kid? I thought I´m old enough to be in a bar that doesn´t allow kids." Jake´s response made Piers choke on the beer he was drinking and Ed hit his back a couple of times until he recovered. "Easy there, Puppy. One beer and already you´re making a mess."

"Shut up, it´s your fault. And yea, he went up against one and probably thought that a bear is nothing special."

"Had to protect the Lieutenant, right?" Jake met Chris´ gaze for a few seconds and the man didn´t blink. The moment reminded him of the one back in China when he gave Chris that faint scar that was barely hidden by a hint of stubble. "So the bear. They usually sleep around this time and someone didn´t bother to tell us that they enjoy Black Forest for this. He signs were all there."

"They were in German though!"

"Then I guess you better learn another fucking language for the next time you decide to swim in shark-infested waters with an open wound." Jake was not even joking, but the man still laughed. "The blood Ed and I got on us attracted it, but Piers was walking last so he was closest. Knocked him out of the way, punched the bear a couple of times, and Ed shot it dead. End of story. And I´m still waiting for my trophy carpet."

Another howl of laughter from the two men, Ed chuckling while Piers grinned as if to say _'See? I told you they would like you!'_.

This would be a long evening and Jake nearly reconsidered his stance on alcohol right there.


	12. Bonding over beer

Half an hour in and Jake wished he would drink. Not that the guys were unbearable, but he saw no point in sitting around and talking. Bonding with them felt unnatural at best and he spent most of the time observing, replying with grunts or nods, sometimes gracing them with a few words. If they noticed, no one commented or tried to urge him to speak more, which he at least appreciated. The coke was lukewarm now, all carbonation gone and the taste was simply too sweet for him. Meanwhile they all ordered another round out of... he had no idea.

Piers was having fun at least. Joking and laughing, steering the conversation away from what occurred half a year ago and Redfield helped. Ed himself was not bad company though. And after a while Jake noticed that while he had been asked how he joined the B.S.A.A., and team Alpha no less, so quickly, no one asked about his father. The few whispers and stickers back at the HQ might have been just a select group of individuals, but these guys were... nice. And that was the best he was willing to call them.

"So what´s the deal with the scar? I mean it looks cool, but if you tell me it was from another bear I swear I will eat this glass." Empty glass, Jake noticed, as the man finished his beer once more.

"About four years ago. Stuck in a jungle on an assignment. Before I knew it, the enemy had me surrounded, the others were dead and I still have no idea how I lost my gun. Guy came at me with a knife. Probably wasn´t worth a bullet." Touching his face he smirked. "That was his first mistake. The second was thinking he could win the knife back after I broke his arm. At least I got paid the rest of the other´s cash after a little negotiation with my employer."

For a moment there was silence and he looked at Cole who seemed to be staring again. "How old did you say you were?"

"I didn´t. I guess 21 now." He wasn´t even sure. His birth certificate has been lost ages ago and he never paid attention to shit like birthdays. 

"Wait, hold on! That means that was... you were seventeen?" Was that shock in his voice.

"Sounds about right. Why?"

"And you were in a jungle killing people? What did you do before this?" An uncomfortable silence fell and Jake could feel their eyes on him. Piers opened his mouth a couple of times before looking to the Captain for help, but Redfield was just frowning, the wheels in his head turning, muddled by beer and the one glass of whiskey he had been nursing for a while now.

"I was a mercenary in Edonia. Basically did what I was paid for. Good money, too. Not enough at first, but by the time I had established fair prices for my service it was too late. And it didn´t matter any longer." Jake waited for their reaction, to see shock or disgust in their faces.

"So you were a mercenary since you were a kid? Hell, you´re still a kid! I have a son that´s almost your age. And you did it all for money?" Simon seemed to doubt him and Jake only smiled.

"Good for you. But where I come from, those with money are the ones with power. Those without do anything to earn it for any reason. I killed the first man when I was fourteen or fifteen, it´s blurry, but don´t worry. It wasn´t a paid kill." No, he had been paid for something else and things were getting out of hand.

"What was it then?" 

"How about I get you guys another round so you stop with the questions and talk about... whatever it is middle-aged men talk about. Sports or women or whatever." Jake stood up without another word and made his way over to the bar while Piers stared after him. He knew when Jake killed for the first time since the other told him, but why exactly he had no idea. For a moment there was silence around the table before Cole was the first to speak up.

"What a weird kid. Not bad though. Just needs to be a bit more social or something and drop the whole cool act." Simon nodded, eyes fixed on Jake´s back. Piers leaned back in his seat, sighing, almost relieved that they seemed so accepting. Trust Chris to choose members for his team who would be like a family. He seemed to be rather pensive now, staring into the glass of whiskey as though it held some answers.

"Jake asked about your knife before." Finishing his second beer, Piers leaned onto the table, choosing the less sticky spots. "Told him it´s the one you had in S.T.A.R.S., but I´m surprised he noticed that it´s different."

"He noticed that, huh?" A sad smile was on his face for a moment. That knife... maybe it was time to pass it on.

Piers looked to the bar again to see Jake talking to someone else, which in itself was rather shocking. But he was smiling before shaking his head and then talking some more. "Did he make a friend or am I seeing things?" Another minute before Jake returned and sat back down, pushing the coke bottle away. His mouth felt sticky from it already.

The waiter came with the round of beer before setting one in front of Jake as well and the man frowned. "I didn´t-"

"Your friend did, so just accept it. Or don´t." He waiter shrugged before walking away again and Jake glared at the beer before his eyes sought out the man from before who only held up his own glass.

"Did the guy just buy you a drink? What-is he hitting on you?" Ed seemed shocked. Not appalled, just shocked. Jake´s gaze shifted to the man before he looked to the beer.

"I already told him I don´t drink. Seems like he didn´t get the message."

"Are you going to punch him?" Simon laughed, amused at his own wit for a moment, but no one else really laughed and Jake shook his head. Maybe one beer would not hurt. Considering how much everyone else drank it seemed to be rather weak as well.

"Not because of this."

"You know, generally when women accept drinks from a men it means they are interested in them. Just an FYI." Cole didn´t seem bothered at all, lighting another cigarette, his eight, Jake noticed, and took a deep drag. "So it might give the guy the wrong idea. But that´s your thing to worry about."

"Wait-you´re gay?" Ed seemed shocked yet again and once more Jake regretted this outing. He should have stayed back at the apartment and worked on a report or something. 

"No."

"So you´re straight."

"No."

"Then what are you?"

"You seem to be really concerned with what I do with my dick, Simon. But don´t worry. You´re not worth my time and you couldn´t afford it either." There was a hint of bitterness in his voice that no one caught on and laughter erupted around the table.

No one, but Piers. That statement made him tense for a moment as he recalled everything he knew about Jake and what the man told him. 

"So what are you into?"

_"Money."_

Killed a man when he was a teenager, but not yet a mercenary, but that was his entry to join them. A way to earn money in a country like Edonia was not easy to come by, especially for a kid. But Jake looked older than he was. His built suggested early growth spurts. 

"Puppy, you´re staring. Don´t worry, I´m not going to jump you in your sleep." Jake smirked as he lifted the beer in his hand, staring at it for a moment. It looked like piss and smelled only slightly better. The taste... wasn´t much. Bitter and somewhat chalky, but still better than sweet soda.

"That´s not what I-ugh, shut up, asshole." Piers shook his head to stop thinking about it for at least a while and just focused on the new conversation of how Simon´s son brought home his first girlfriend. Piers didn´t care if Jake was gay or not and he definitely wasn´t worried about what he said. What he did worry was how casually he spoke about it when there was a hint of something more in his voice.

Edonia was a war-ridden country with a lack of medical expertise. Money ruled everything and if his mother needed treatment, they would need a lot of it. Part-time jobs would not be enough and if Jake became a mercenary after killing a man, then he had to have been in a position that required he defends himself.

"Piers, stop thinking about it. You´re upsetting the cheerful mood." Jake´s whisper reached only him as the man sipped the gifted beer.

"I wasn´t thinking about anything. Maybe just you getting drunk off of one beer and how funny it will be." But Jake hated not being in control, so getting drunk wouldn´t happen, right? And from one beer no less.

"I reckon I could still kick your ass even drunk, but I won´t let it go so far." Jake flashed him a smirk as he leaned back. The beer really was not bad and fifteen minutes later he joined in on another round, the man from before nowhere to be seen. Too bad. He could have thanked him.

"So, got a taste of alcohol and now you want more? Next time we might as well pick a bar that serves something better, Captain! Give the rookie here a taste of what good beer is." Simon was way too cheerful now, but Chris nodded. For a moment he recalled a Christmas party at the S.T.A.R.S. office, how his own Captain back then refused to partake in the eggnog that Chris and Jill each spiked. After one glass he was inclined to have another. Seeing Wesker loosen up was something he would never forget and one of his favourite memories. Of course, what came after-

"Redfield! I asked if you want another." Jake nodded towards the empty whiskey glass and Chris finally snapped out of it for a second. "You seem to be thinking about something extremely interesting." Jake´s eyes bore into him in a way that was too familiar and he laughed it off quickly.

"Sorry, just reflecting on how the mission went and how all you guys did well. Even if you decided to wrestle the local wildlife. Sure, why not go for another. We´re celebrating after all."

\---

"I can´t believe three beers was enough to get you drunk." Piers didn´t bother hiding that he found it hilarious as they stepped into the elevator and he hit the appropriate button for their floor. Jake himself leaned against the wall, feeling the alcohol´s effects course through his body, but otherwise he felt fine. His limbs felt a bit heavier, but his head wasn´t spinning so as long as he had his equilibrium he was fine. Either way, being even somewhat drunk was better than being drugged. Less needles.

"I can still kick your ass if you wanna go, Puppy." He had watched Piers drink more than he did, but for some reason the sniper looked better off. Not that it mattered. Jake let him take care of the door as he kicked off his boots, not one for tracking dirt inside the place, and stripped his jacket off.

"You were right. It was fun. When I wasn´t being interrogated like a criminal, that is. Good thing I had practice with that, too." First things first. Jake went to the kitchen, getting a bottle of water from the fridge and drank half in one go. Much better, though he had to brush his teeth to get rid of the leftover taste.

"I´ll remind you that you said it was fun in the morning. I wonder if you´ll have a hangover. After that beer from the man you really did start enjoying yourself." Piers locked the front door and kicked his sneakers off, content to grab the carton of orange juice from the fridge and pour himself a glass.

"Hm, too bad he vanished before I could thank him." Piers was silent for a moment, watching Jake for a moment before leaning against the counter. The question was burning on his tongue, but he should keep cool and ignore it.

"Jake, when you were talking about being a mercenary and how you got to be one, you said you killed a man. How... when did you kill him? For what reason?" So much for keeping his tongue in check. Watching the former mercenary turn around to stare at him he saw the flash of something strange in his eyes, but didn´t avoid his gaze.

"Because he tried to do something he didn´t pay for, then use force to get it, Puppy. Or want me to elaborate further?" Jake sneered at him, setting the bottle down on the counter as he stepped closer.

"You don´t have to."

"But you want to know. Because that was what you were thinking of back at the bar. What you wanted to ask since I mentioned it. Well, Puppy, to put it simply, he tried to fuck me when he only paid for my hand."

There it was. He knew it was coming and he hoped it wouldn´t more than anything, but it was too late and undeniably so. 

"There aren´t many ways to earn money in Edonia and when I found out that women sold themselves to bring in cash, I decided to see if there was a market for men. And the money came rolling, Puppy. For once being tall and muscular helped. So then, wanna buy me?"

Piers froze as he realized that Jake was too close, hands coming to rest on their side of his body, trapping him against the counter. He could see the intense blue of his eyes bore into him as the unwavering stare lingered.

"Just kidding. I have no need for that now." Jake whispered into his ear before stepping away. "But for a few years it was a great way to earn money for the necessary medicine. And just so you know, I did it of my own accord, Puppy. The first time a man tried to use force was the first time I killed."

Stopping in front of his room he recalled something else before looking at Piers again, the sniper still shaken, leaning against the counter. "And one more thing: I would do it for her all over again if I had to. But in the end, it wasn´t enough. Goodnight, Puppy. Try not to let it bother you too much. As I said; I´m not gay. Or anything else. All I care about is money."

The bedroom door closed and shortly after he could hear the shower running, finally pushing himself away from the counter. Everything Jake said made sense, but at the same time he spoke of something so awful so casually. 

_Wanna buy me?_

He would spend way too long thinking about that before being able to sleep.


	13. "And here. And here."

That night it took Piers a long time to fell asleep. The things Jake said kept echoing in his mind as he laid in bed and stared at the ceiling. The man sold himself for money. Which basically made him a prostitute. But instead of the money going to a pimp or himself, he spent it on his mother and the medicine she needed, all the treatment that they could not afford. Considering that, he felt awful just thinking about him like that. Would he have done the same for his mother?

Piers rolled over onto his stomach and clutched at the pillow, glaring at his alarm clock. 2 AM. Jake was already asleep, Piers checked on him before going to bed and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. But he couldn't sleep at all. They had such different lives. Piers grew up surrounded by love and support. When he told his parents that he wanted to join the Special Forces they supported him. Upon graduating they praised him and all were there, even his grandfather who gave him the scarf. He was so proud when he managed to join the B.S.A.A., too.

And while he was fulfilling his dreams, Jake lived in a nightmare in Edonia, struggling to get by with his sick mother and going lengths others would not even think of. And now he considered himself expandable... Jake was an idiot. Sherry would cry for sure if anything happened to him. And Piers would be sad, too. Chris as well. The whole Alpha team would be upset. There were people who cared, but he refused to see it.

That kinda explained his room. Or how he could pack his whole life into one bag and still have space left. The only memento he seemed to carry was that old photograph. Nothing else. No kind of luxury at all could be found in his room. Hell, this fucking apartment was probably a luxury to him. Piers rolled over again, clenching his eyes shut when he started to feel like crying. Months ago he didn´t even like Jake and now he cared about his well-being because of... why? Because Jake saved him and brought him back? Because they were living together and working on the same team? Because things changed?

_Wanna buy me?_

Sleep didn´t come easy to him that night.

\---

He woke up to the smell of coffee and food being cooked and for a moment he wondered if someone broke in and decided to cook. Surely after drinking for the first time and being drunk enough to say that shit, Jake was hungover, stuck in bed and nursing a headache the size of that massive B.O.W. they encountered in Edonia when they first met. Piers himself felt sluggish and tired, dragging himself out of bed and to the bathroom, splashing ice-cold water on his face until he felt somewhat awake.

Jake really was awake. And cooking. Seemingly unaffected by the beer from last night. He even looked cheerful, which should actually be a warning sign for there being something wrong. Seeing the mug on the counter with steaming coffee, Piers dragged his ass over to the stool and sat down, pulling it slowly towards himself and just inhaled.

"Why aren´t _you_ hungover?" Muttering as he stared into the coffee he wondered if Jake even recalled last night and everything he said. Maybe he forgot? Or could that be just wishful thinking?

"Don´t know. Maybe I drank too little or whatever antibodies I´m infused with helped. Kinda like with a virus. I never had a cold either." Jake gave a brief shrug, piling eggs onto two plates. "I´m not complaining. You on the other hand look like you could sleep longer."

Piers grunted in response, still staring into the coffee before finally lifting the mug to his lips and sipping the hot brew. "So last night... you had fun?"

"It wasn´t bad. Not something I would do every week, but it was alright." Jake popped more toast into the toaster and watched the sniper for a moment, how Piers was avoiding looking at him. "And I remember everything, in case you were wondering. Heard that hungover people usually forget what they said or did. Well, not me. And Puppy, I meant what I said. I don´t regret it. So take it easy. Though I would appreciate if you wouldn´t go telling others about it."

"I won´t!" The response came quicker than Jake thought and he gave him a smile, setting the plates on the table as he retrieved his own mug.

"Thanks. I may not be ashamed of what I did, but I´m not exactly proud of it either." With a shrug he sat down and after a moment Piers joined him. Eating breakfast together was not in the agreement they signed when moving in, neither was spending time, but some things just worked out this way. And it wasn´t bad.

"It´s actually... impressive. You were so young and still did things most adults never could. And after all that, I don´t doubt that you will make a great B.S.A.A. operative." He just needed to learn to trust others a bit more and everything would be fine, that was all. The eggs smelled divine and Piers didn´t hesitate to stuff his mouth while Jake watched him, a faint smile tugging on the corners of his lips.

"Thanks... ugh, it feels so weird to be getting along with you. I feel like I´m losing my touch." Jake shook his head, slowly eating as he thought of what all he said to piers last night. The alcohol loosened his tongue more than he would have liked, but instead of avoiding him, Piers was sitting right there and even complimented him. It was just so strange. "You know, if you have any questions, ask them now. I might not be inclined to answer them later." And it was better to get this over with now.

"I wasn´t really... well, I was, but-"

"Piers, I just gave you permission to ask whatever the fuck you like. So go ahead before I change my mind and if I don´t want to answer something I won´t." Jake sighed and watched Piers ponder it over, swallowing another mouthful of food.

"Are you _really_ not gay?"

"Of all the-... no, I am not gay. Or straight or bisexual or anything. I don´t care about sex or relationships or anything like that. I did it for the money and it just happened to be men. Is that answer enough for you?" He saw Piers nod and really hoped that was the last time he was asked this.

"So you had sex with men. For money." Piers spoke slowly, almost cautious, as though Jake might attack him any second if he said something wrong. "How far did you go?" 

"Depending on what they paid, Puppy. Nothing was off limits, but only a few would go for the whole package. Most were just fine with my hand or mouth. And no, I didn´t swallow any of that nasty shit. I did have some standards." Not that it wasn´t disgusting, but after a while it didn´t matter. "And there was a no kissing rule, but they weren´t interested in that either."

"So you didn´t kiss any of them?" Now this was surprising. Piers looked up from his plate and stared at Jake, eyes darting to his lips for a second, then back to his eyes.

"No. I kissed Sherry on the cheek once if that counts and only because she told me to." And he would never do it again if he could avoid it. " Piers seemed to relax after a moment and some of the tension left his shoulders.

"Hey, kissing isn´t that bad. You should try it sometime. It´s pretty nice when done with the right person." Not that he had much more experience with that, but definitely more than Jake. At least as far as kissing went.

"Are you _offering_?" Grimacing when Piers began to choke on his coffee, Jake shook his head, glad that he didn´t just spray it all over the table. "I was joking, sheesh. I just told you I´m not interested in an of that." Piers was so easy to rattle he might just make this a thing.

"Shut up! I wasn´t expecting that. Like when you asked me last night if I want to buy you!" Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Piers looked most offended as he glared at Jake who only smirked.

"Maybe I was serious. You know, you would be my first client in years and probably the best-looking one, too." Jake didn´t let even an ounce of humour touch his voice as he spoke, staring at Piers who only glared harder. "Then again, I charge a lot for my services. And I don´t do friend discounts." Why did Piers suddenly grin? Jake went over what he said before it hit him and his eyes narrowed. "Don´t you fucking dare-"

"You think we´re friends!?" There was no hiding the smile on the man´s face as Piers sat up and grinned at him. "You said it! I´m your _friend_!"

"Puppy, shut up before I muzzle you." But it was too late. The damage was done and it was all his fault for teasing him and not paying attention. Not that he didn´t consider Piers a friend, but he didn´t think of him as one either. It took a long time before he considered Sherry that. He definitely was going soft. With a grunt he finished eating and stood up, depositing the dishes in the sink for Piers to wash and stretched his arms above his head.

"You called us friends and I´m never letting you forget that, Jake." Way too smug for his own good, Piers forgot all about feeling tired and watched the other man, once more noticing the silvery scars on his body that were so different from the others he was sporting. The scratches from the bear were gone as well, thanks to the quickly administered tablets. Too bad they never erased past damage.

"I noticed this before, but how did you get those scars?" Piers stood up as well, plate in one hand as the other reached out to lightly touch a scar on the man´s lower back. With Jake not wearing a shirt it was easy to see just how many memories in the form of damage he carried. "The thin, straight ones." Specifying he set his plate in the sink and started to wash the dishes, remembering how he promised he would in exchange for Jake having fun for one evening.

"China. I spent six months being their guinea pig and didn´t get a choice in that matter, either. Half the time they kept me drugged, so it was a real pain." Jake finished up his coffee and leaned over Piers to put the mug in the sink, stopping briefly to inspect something on the man´s neck.

Like the two beauty marks on his face, he had another set of two right there at the nape of his neck. And one on his spine. Hell, if Piers took the time to inspect his scars, he could do the same with his beauty marks. His lower back had one as well. Moving to his other side, Jake didn´t say a word still, waiting to spot another one and soon he did, just as Piers moved his arm, there on his side were three small ones, forming a nearly perfect triangle. "Do you get a lot of sun?"

"Not really, why? Only during summer training outside." Piers glanced over his shoulder at the man, startled to see him so close and staring at him as though inspecting something. "Hey, what are you-"

"You have quite a few beauty marks. Right here there´s three... another one here." Jake pressed the tip of his finger to his lower back. "And here." His spine. "Two here." Two fingers pressed to the nape of his neck for a second. "And of course, the two here." The fingers pressed to his cheek and he shuddered, frozen stiff as Jake´s fingers lingered there. A mug was set into the sink and Piers grabbed it quickly, scrubbing it clean. "Found another one." A finger pressed to his chest, right above his collarbone and Piers nearly dropped the mug into the sink.

_"Jake-"_

"You do have a lot. Makes me kinda wonder how many more you have. Alright. When you finish up with that we should probably go to the HQ and see if Redfield´s already there. He and I should have a long overdue talk..." Jake pulled away, going to get dressed while Piers stared at the mug in his hands. 

Maybe he was just imagining it, but after that talk, Jake was really getting all touchy with him. And beauty marks? Moles was more like it. So he had a few, but so did most people anyway so it wasn´t a big deal. Shuddering for a moment he touched his cheek with his wet hand before shaking his head and finishing the dishes.

At least he was fully awake now, no hint of a hangover anywhere. And the mood felt a lot lighter. Tonight he would sleep much better for sure. Provided he wouldn´t find out something weird about Jake again, but things couldn´t get worse than what he already knew, right?

_Right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, let me know what you think, your thoughts and comments (and if there are any mistakes I missed and need to correct).


	14. Spiked memories

Chris knew it was coming and he wasn´t looking forward to that. Staring at the knife on his desk he kept running his fingertips over the dull side, over the handle, the S.T.A.R.S. logo and inscription with the initials A.W. over and over again before grabbing a cloth to remove his fingerprints that he left on it. He had the blade for so long it was like a part of him. One pleasant memory from a past of nightmares. A brief smile appeared on his lips for a moment as he recalled the original owner using it and caring for it. 

_15 years ago_

He was so proud that he was chosen to join S.T.A.R.S. Working under Captain Wesker was intense and the man demanded more from him than anyone ever before, but that only made Chris work harder, even though he never ceased complaining about the mountains of paperwork on his desk. Every nod of approval or hint of positive emotion on the Captain´s face made him feel like he accomplished something great. With the annual Christmas party coming up, things were even busier, but he left the decorating up to others for now. And took the batteries out of the dancing Christmas tree on his desk that Barry put there.

"Redfield. Your report is late again. Can I expect it by tonight or not?" Jumping in his chair he turned around, staring at Wesker, his reflection in the shades the man wore showing him just how messy his hair was. At least he managed not to get any of his lunch on his shirt this time.

"I´m almost done, sir! About the Christmas party-"

"I don´t attend these gatherings. I´ll be busy regardless, so the rest of you enjoy."

"But we are doing a Secret Santa as well and Jill thought it would be great if you would join. It´s not a big party either. Just us and Bravo team having a small get-together." He watched one pale brow rise in question.

"Does not sound small to me. As said, I will be busy-"

"But everyone is looking forward to getting together like family! Captain, you can´t just skip that."

"Oh, can´t I?" The icy voice made him shudder and Chris stared at the man, feeling his gaze. It felt freezing. "I have no interest to mingle." Turning on his heel, Wesker began to walk away to his office, away from the cheery decorations and noise.

"So you´re spending time with your own family then?" Chris regretted asking before thinking about t and bit his tongue after a moment.

"I don´t have a family. Get back to work, Redfield."

_Later that day_

It was that comment that made him work even harder. The report was finishing within two hours and the rest of the time he kept nagging Jill about the Secret Santa and how to get Wesker to attend. It seemed like an exercise in futility. Drawing names from the gaudy red hat that evening he resigned himself to accepting that no one would be able to convince the man to come.

_Albert Wesker_

Trust his luck to pick the one person from the hat that he kept thinking about all day long.

"That´s all!" Chris looked up from the slip of paper, pocketing it quickly before frowning.

"You sure? Seems like it would be kinda uneven. Like... one left over or something."

"Why would you think that? Everyone already drew a name, even the captains."

"Captains?"

"Yea, Marini and Wesker. Though I was surprised that our Captain decided to join in. He had this creepy expression..." Jill made a face before shrugging, putting the hat on top of Chris´ head and smirked. "There. Now go find the perfect present for your person. We have three days until the party."

Three days have been enough to get the perfect gift. Or at least Chris considered it that and now held the box firmly in his hands, nervous and excited. Everyone dressed nicely and he even asked Claire to iron his dress shirt, which made her laugh and tease him. Everyone was having fun though. The eggnog has been spiked enough times to taste more like alcohol than anything and the spirits were lifted. The food was fantastic, too, but he paid extreme caution when indulging.

"So, have you given someone your present yet?" Jill startled him, prodding him in the back with the tip of her finger and Chris whipped around, hiding it behind his back. "Joseph got me a great necklace. I don´t wear jewellery often, but this I can even wear during work and on missions." A simple teardrop with a green gem. It looked good on her.

"Looks great. And no... not yet." He had seen Wesker, mostly talking to Marini instead of mingling with the others, but that was fine. Chris could wait. But after a while and another glass of eggnog he was getting impatient, following him around. Gifting him in front of everyone was embarrassing.

Then finally! He saw him head to his office for a moment and Chris followed a few steps behind. Even Wesker dressed up, all in black, of course, making himself even paler, but the shades remained on his face. Was he hiding something? No time to contemplate that again, Chris had a mission to fulfil.

"Captain?" He knocked briefly before closing the door. The desk light was on while the man opened a drawer, pulling out a small box. "I uh, I´m your Secret Santa."

"It´s not exactly a secret if you tell me, is it now?" He almost thought he could hear amusement in his voice.

"Yea, well, you would find out anyway. So here, Merry Christmas!" He almost shouted the last part, holding out the box with shaking hands. A grown man feeling this nervous over a present made no sense, but he blamed the alcohol and Wesker´s cool demeanour.

"... thank you. May I open it?" 

"If you want to."

"I do." Long fingers slowly unwrapping the paper, setting the decorative bow aside and Chris wanted to just tell him to rip it open. But he stood there, watching those fingers move ever so slowly before the box came into view. Wesker stared at it for a moment before opening it. Inside in a velvet casing laid a smooth leather sheath and as he lifted it up he was impressed by the balance. Slowly he pulled out the knife inside, the measurements fitting for his hand.

"I-I thought you could use a more personal one... as our Captain and all. Because you´re important." Blabbering as he watched Wesker inspect the knife, Chris wanted to leave the room, but found himself rooted to the place as Wesker slowly rotated the knife, the logo and his initials staring back at him.

"It is a really thoughtful gift, Christopher. Thank you." Tension left his shoulders and Chris watched him sheathe the knife before setting it on his desk. He liked it, or at least was very good at pretending he did. 

"Heh, I´m glad. Well, time to get back to the party and-"

"One moment." Hand on the doorknob, Chris froze yet again and turned around just as Wesker walked over to him, staring at him with the most intense blue eyes Chris had ever seen. Blue? Where were his shades? Not that it mattered. Mesmerized he let go of the door an turned to face the man as he was handed a small box.

"Merry Christmas, Christopher."

"Huh?"

"I do believe the point of Secret Santa is to gift the person whose name you pull out of a hat, is it not?" Which would make Wesker... his Secret Santa? His head was spinning.

"T-thank you, sir." With shaky hands he took the box, not even caring what was inside. 

"Well then, open it. I do want to know if you like my present." The permission as all he needed before he tore into the paper, far less elegant than Wesker´s unwrapping was before. He didn´t recognize the name on the box, but it sounded fancy. Walker´s Timepieces. Only as he opened the box he saw what it was. 

A watch laid nestled in the box and it had to be the most beautiful piece he had seen. "I noticed that your watch broke recently. I cannot have my best man being late because he has no way to tell the time, can I now?" Again there was this hint of amusement in his voice and Chris looked up at the man, still in shock.

"T-thank you."

"You´re welcome. One more thing, Christopher. Look up." Obeying without a word he did, his eyes needing a moment to adjust to the dark ceiling. Something was hanging there, a red ribbon tied around something green. Mistletoe? "Ms. Valentine has been kind enough to decorate my office, perhaps as a prank. But I am familiar with the traditions. Are you, Christopher?" 

_"Yes..."_

The rare smirk was back on Wesker´s lips and the next thing Chris knew the intense blue eyes were getting closer and the man´s warm lips were on his own. It was only a moment that seemed to last much longer before the man pulled away and left him staring with longing and eagerness evident in his expression.

"Let me help you with this." Wesker took the watch out of the box, taking Chris´ hand and slid it onto his wrist. A perfect fit, as he anticipated. And it suited the man as well. Of course, Wesker had perfect taste in everything, that included his team. Meeting the shocked man´s eyes once more he let out a sound that Chris could only call a mild chuckle. "You´re still standing under the mistletoe."

"I know." Without thinking he reached out, grabbing the man´s tie, half-expecting him to pull away, half to break his wrist for the boldness. But it was too late as he pulled Wesker back down and into a far more intense kiss, a happy little gasp escaping his lips as the kiss was returned and a strong hand pressed to the small of his back.

He fucking loved Christmas parties!

_Present day_

The knife back in the sheath, Chris stared at it in silence. It was after he watched Wesker and Jill fall out of the window that he found the knife on the floor. Still used, kept in top shape and the insane bastard carried it around for some reason. A small part of Chris wanted to believe that maybe his former Captain was still there inside, that the madness of the virus didn´t affect him completely, but he was no fool. Taking the knife he thought he left his memories of Wesker behind at the Spencer mansion. But he only brought more back.

There was a knock on the door and before he could say anything, Jake walked inside, alone, kicking the door shut before making himself comfortable in the Chair opposite of Chris´ desk. "We have a long overdue talk waiting, Redfield. So how about you take it from the start and work from there. I will let you talk and if I have any questions, I can wait until you are done. But don´t hide anything from me or I promise you will regret it." 

"Sounds like a threat."

"It is."

Like father, like son. They were so much alike, but it was the intensity of that blue gaze that bothered Chris the most. The first time he had seen those eyes on Wesker was one of the happiest memories he had. Seeing Jake in Edonia for the first time he was instantly reminded of that intense stare.

"Very well then... let me make some coffee first, since this will be a while to go through." Rising from the chair he moved to the coffee maker in the corner of the office, needing just a bit more time, just a few more minutes. "Then I will tell you everything." He owed them both that much.

A while later he was back at his desk, Jake´s coffee sitting untouched in front of him while Chris had his hands curled around his huge B.S.A.A. mug.

"It started when I applied to join S.T.A.R.S. ..."


	15. The Talk

Jake kept staring at Chris the whole time the man spoke, not once looking away from him, barely touching the coffee even when it went from hot to lukewarm. There was no need to rush things and he wanted to know everything. Listening to Chris talk about S.T.A.R.S. was strange though. He started with how he was accepted, chosen out of dozens of applicants even though he had been discharged from the Air Force. He didn´t go into detail, but quickly moved on to how he ended up working with the Alpha team. And how they all got along.

Jake expected him to talk about his father like he was some kind of monster, but instead he got to hear how diligent the man was, how hard on his team he could be, but protective and a damn perfectionist. "Back then we mostly thought he has a stick up his ass or something, but he did good work. Many people were saved because of him." Chris´ gaze switched to the knife for a second, then back to Jake. "He wasn´t always a monster. We all liked him. Hell, he even let Jill put mistletoe into his office once."

"Mistletoe? Was she trying something?" Jill Valentine. He heard about her a few times. Along with the others, half of which were dead, the only other surviving member of the Alpha team aside from Chris being A certain Barry Burton.

"No... it was just decoration." Again his eyes darted to the knife for a moment. Jake nodded at him to continue and Chris did, lingering on small details. Wesker´s sharpshooting skills. How he drank his coffee and always washed the mug afterwards. How he seemed to have a dislike for parsley, always pushing it to the edge of his plate when it dared show up included on the canteen menu. How he always wore the shades and people never questioned it, just chalked it up to his personality. How they sometimes caught him fixing his hair in a reflective surface.

"Then... the mansion happened. Sometimes I wonder if we hadn´t gone there... things might have turned out differently. But it´s too late for that." He let out a deep sigh and continued and Jake was surprised to hear that even where his father protected the man. Really, he wasn´t blind or stupid. He already figured what was up, but remained silent, eyes fixed on Redfield as he finished talking about that and moved on to another meeting with his father.

"He was just so... strong. A whole different man and I liked to think I knew him well. But the Wesker we saw there, standing above Spencer´s body, was just... I don´t know. I want to think that the virus affected his mind, that it was at fault for all the changes, but I will never find out. He was about to finish me I guess when Jill took the fall and pushed him out of the window. Should have known that wasn´t enough to kill him, but in a way I am glad, since it meant that Jill survived as well. The knife here... is belonged to your father and was left there. I didn´t want to leave it behind." Pushing the blade over to Jake he fell silent.

The former mercenary let his gaze slide to the knife and reached out, grasping it firmly as he pulled it out of the sheath. It fell nicely into his hand, the balance perfected and he gazed at the inscription near the handle. His father´s initials stared back at him This was not just a S.T.A.R.S. knife. This was much more than that. Someone had this made, the custom work showing clearly and it didn´t take a genius to know who it was.

"You should have it. Since it belonged to your father before everything went to shit. Anyway, a few years ago in Africa..." Chris continued while Jake toyed with the knife, tossing it in his hand, watching him even now. Their second meeting, the seven minutes that Wesker played with them and something in Chris´ voice broke for a moment. The man coughed before finishing the large mug of coffee and slowly finished.

"We had no other choice. He was too far gone and... I shot him. If the damn RPG wouldn´t have killed him, then the volcano would have for sure. No body was found since there probably wasn´t anything left. I´m sorry, Jake. I killed your father, but I had no choice. It wasn´t the Captain I knew in S.T.A.R.S." Jake stopped throwing the knife in the air and gripped the handle firmly in his hand.

"So when you said you can see him in me, what exactly did you mean?"

"Your eyes. They are the same blue hue. The way you carry yourself, hell, even your height is like his. Your face as well. I guess if you had blond hair..."

"I like having red hair and keeping it short enough for people not to notice. But pray tell, when exactly did you get to see his eyes if every photo I saw of the bastard shows him wearing those shades?" Chris tensed for a moment and Jake resisted the smirk that was tugging on his lips.

"It was... long ago. I think he wasn´t wearing them a few times, so I remember since it was kinda rare."

"Why don´t you tell me the whole truth, Redfield?" The silence that fell after this was heavy, the tension thick enough to cut with the knife.

"What do you-"

"Was it before or after my mother? You two fucking." Were this a different situation, Jake would have laughed at the man´s expression, but right now he didn´t feel like laughing at all. Staring at the man he waited for him to answer, hand still on the knife. _"Answer me!"_ He snapped, stabbing the knife into the man´s desk, then let go and just let it stand there, firmly embedded.

"After. I didn´t know him before that and I wouldn´t have... if he was with her. He only mentioned her once in passing to Marini and Burton knew her, but that´s it." Jake relaxed and once more leaned back, his hands now occupied with the mug of cold coffee.

"You know, since I found out that I carry some special antibodies that are immune to all viruses I kept wondering... what if they had used my blood for a transfusion and given that to her? Would she have lived? Recovered? But I didn´t know. We went through so much shit while he forgot all about her-"

"Jake-"

"Shut up! Even if she left, he didn´t bother going after her. He didn´t care that the woman he fucked was suddenly gone without a word! If he had given a damn he could have saved her!" Jake was yelling now, gripping the mug almost too firmly in his hands and stared at the surface of the liquid inside, his own reflection glaring back. "I wasn´t even there when she died. I was off killing some bastard for money for the treatment. The damn doctor didn´t even try to help her." Slowly he looked back at Chris. "I killed him for that."

"I figured as much. Jake, I don´t know why he didn´t go after her or what happened. Barry might and I promise you I will ask him today about what he knows. But don´t think that he didn´t care about her. Because Wesker was capable of caring about people."

"Like he cared about you?" The silence was present once more and Jake finished the disgusting coffee and set the mug down, removing the knife from the desk and stared at it.

"... I like to think that, yes."

"Did you... were you in love with him?" Did it even matter? Love was a stupid, weak thing that made no sense in the long run and Jake didn´t want to think about Wesker loving his mother or anyone else. He wanted to think that the man was a monster at best and nothing more, but even that was impossible now.

"I don´t know. Maybe. He was my Captain and I just wanted his approval, then I just wanted his attention and then I just wanted... him, I guess." It sounded so strange when he said it like this. Was it so wrong to think of it like that?

"You´re making him sound human. Not like a monster that I should hate."

"He was human at one point. The Wesker Children all were. You know what they were, right?" Jake nodded, frowning now. He read all about it. But how disturbing it truly was. "I still blame the virus and Spencer for hurting them all and hurting your father like that. But the man I knew, the Captain that I worked with and under, the man your mother knew, he would be proud of you Jake. For what it is worth."

That was actually worth something. This talk has been long overdue and he managed to get more than a few truths out of Redfield and appreciated that. Slowly he stood up, sheathing the knife once more before setting it on the desk and pushing it towards Chris.

"Keep it. I prefer a more hands-on approach. Besides, it means more to you than it ever would to me. And... thanks, I guess." Now this surprised the man and he stared at the knife for a moment before nodding.

"You know, I could dig up some old photos I still have. Some of them have Wesker as well."

"Some other time maybe. Though it makes me wonder if there even are any of him and my mother together."Jake gave a dry chuckle before shaking his head. "Sorry about your desk. Alright, I´m gonna get the puppy so we can get out of here. And for what it is worth, Redfield, I can see why my old man would like you." He left the room before Chris could reply.

Knowing why his father did the things he did felt strange. A virus that affected him, enhancing his physical abilities to the point where bullets were of no importance at all was useful and Jake almost wished he inherited that. But the virus might have warped his mind to the twisted divinity delusions. Though that seemed to be the case in people without a virus in their body. 

"Hey. So, you two talked? Is Chris still alive or should I go check on him?" Piers was waiting in the lobby, quickly getting up when he saw Jake descend down the stairs. He had been worried when someone walked by and mentioned there was yelling coming from the office, but it seemed that there was no blood on Jake. But black clothes hid blood well, so...

"He´s fine. Just gave him a little scare to get the truth out of him. Let´s go, Puppy. We need to pick up some groceries. Or I can go alone."

"No, I wanna come. Let´s get popcorn and watch a movie or something. It´s been so long since I did that." Not seeing a flaw in that plan, Jake nodded after a moment, walking to the car with him, though this time he was the one to drive. He did find a store he preferred to the large ones.

"What did you two talk about? Aside from your father."

"Mostly about him really. And the two of them fucking." Piers let out a sound that sounded like a gasp, then started coughing hand on the dashboard as he tried to breathe. "Did you just choke on air?"

"Shut up! They were what?" Piers was more shocked than Jake was when he found out.

"Fucking. Come on, it was pretty obvious." Letting Piers ponder that over for a while he soon parked near the store and stepped out of the car, waiting for Piers to join him as he looked around. The grocery store was decently sized, not too large or too small. And right beside it was a nice antiques store. He always liked those things for some reason. The value of some trinkets was ridiculous though. For a moment he stared into the display, one thing catching his attention, but by then Piers seemed to have composed himself.

"What are you looking at?" He tried following Jake´s gaze, but only saw some weird furniture while the man was already walking away. "Hey! Wait for me!"

"I should really get a leash for him..."

\---

That night Chris set the unsheathed knife on the nightstand in his bedroom and just stared at it. Right behind it was a photo of the S.T.A.R.S. team, everyone looking so happy and determined. They worked so well together. Touching the knife again he stared at the shiny blade and sighed, closing his eyes after a moment. He missed him.

Even when he turned into a craze megalomaniac with delusion of grandeur, albeit somewhat warranted, Chris missed him. His old Captain. The virus took him away. At least by now he stopped crying over it, but the nightmares never fully left. Sometimes he woke up just after shooting the RPG and saw the hurt in blue eyes instead of glowing red.

When he woke up in the morning, Chris failed to notice the fingerprints on the blade that weren´t there last night, already going about his business to take a shower. His room was oddly cold though. "Don´t remember opening that." Muttering he closed a window, not thinking twice about it. Probably just wind. That´s right... it was winter. Christmas was close.

When he left, he completely failed to notice the mistletoe hanging in the hallway.


	16. Would you?

Working for the B.S.A.A. was not bad at all. Aside from the apartment being fucking amazing, Jake got used to Piers being his roommate rather quickly. In fact, he wasn´t so bad. Once they both found out a shared interest in motorcycles and heavy machinery, many evenings were spent watching documentaries on them, talking about their favourites. Piers got to ride a lot of them as well, for which Jake envied him a bit. Soon a routine was established, where Jake would make breakfast on weekdays and Piers took over on Saturday and Sunday. Though he was still trying to make "pizza night" a thing while Jake was trying to feed him more vegetables.

Not that they didn´t have arguments. Mostly about which weapons were better for what, but sometimes more nonsense got in the way. Piers proposed a few times that he would help Jake decorate his room, but each time he was turned down. "There´s no need for that. If a die on a mission there will be just less shit to get rid of. Just let it go, alright?" Less shit to get rid of. That still pissed him off whenever he heard that.

Jake didn´t seem to allow himself any kind of luxury at all. The B.S.A.A. paid well and they both knew it, but nothing in his habits changed. And the more Piers realized this the more he wanted to do something for the man, but what, he had no idea.

The HQ was no longer as boring, either. With the team´s first mission a complete success, usually they ended up training together, Chris joining them each time to set an example as Captain, though somewhat vary of Jake at first. It took another talking to for the man to relax. And though a few times he caught him staring, Jake didn´t mind at all, having accepted what he was told about Wesker. Knowing that the man was not always an evil bastard helped him with that. But others remained unaware of this, the stickers with WESKER still showing up on his locker.

And sometimes after work, Jake still went to the empty lounge to play the piano. Knowing it was there he couldn´t resist and no longer was he surprised to see Piers sit there and listen. He actually found a good way to silence him. Sometimes the music was slow, demure and sad, but other times the pace quickened and his fingers moved over the keys at an insane speed, making Piers wonder why he never showed his talent to anyone else. Though he rather liked this being a secret. Just him knowing that Jake could play. His mother really taught him well.

The subject of what Jake did to earn money never came up again. The teasing remained for a while, mild in nature, but nothing offensive. Grocery shopping became an enjoyable activity after a while, even if Jake still gave him disapproving looks when Piers added junkfood to the cart. Apparently watching movies without popcorn was a sacrilege. But he accepted it once Piers said he would stop teasing him about the apples.

"We had a neighbour," Jake once told him. "He had an orchard, but he was getting old to take care of all the trees. So when I was a kid, before I found something more lucrative, I helped him out. And he always gave me a ton of them. Mum would bake pies, or strudels, as they were called. I kept helping the man out until he died and the place was torn down." The happy memories Jake told him about, as few as they were, meant a lot.

They had one more mission, in Canada, this time as one team and Jake accepted wearing the tactical clothing, mostly because Canada was fucking cold this time of the year. But the mission was a success. Piers proved that he was a super sniper, shooting off a man´s hand as he threatened to hit a button that would release a virus in Toronto. Meanwhile Jake made a pile of bodies as he was told not to kill anyone. Knocking guys out was harder, since it involved ensuring he didn´t go too far, but it was a good workout.

He didn´t argue when they went out afterwards to celebrate, though he stuck to alcohol-free beer. The taste was not bad; it was the alcohol that bothered him. Simon still teased him about it.

Now it was after another long day of training and finishing up the report, Jake finally having handled the art of doing it properly, though he still slacked off on some parts. Someone decided to decorate all of HQ and now he couldn´t walk even a few steps without running into a snowflake sticker at the very least. The happy feeling, everyone talking about their families and holidays, it made him feel nothing. 

"Jake, come on!" Finishing up on the report he looked up, staring at the excited Piers who was almost bouncing on his feet. How was this guy older than him again? Frowning he looked away, checking the details once more before saving the document. Paperwork sucked ass. "Hurry up! We´re going to be late!"

"Late for what? Is there a briefing I don´t know about or something?" Standing up he moved deliberately slowly, taking his sweet time in checking that he had everything. There was another episode of _Military Machinery Through The Ages_ tonight and he was looking forward to that, but there were still two hours left. Maybe he wanted to get popcorn or something?

"Secret Santa! Christmas is almost here and tonight we pick names!" How could anyone not see Piers as a puppy was beyond him. With a grunt of disapproval, Jake followed, his eyes assaulted by the lights and decorations once more and someone was playing Christmas music on repeat. Though all dancing Christmas trees seemed to have lost their batteries. Jake and Chris had a silent understanding here and sometimes he would deposit a handful into the man´s drawer. Holidays were insane.

"I´m not really one for Christmas. I´ll probably be working or take a solo mission or something." Mumbling he followed Piers to the lounge where everyone else was gathered. Ed waved at them in greeting and Chris was present as well, talking to a blonde woman with a gaudy Christmas hat in her hands. Jill Valentine came back after some secret assignment and everyone was excited. She wasn´t bad. They talked for a bit and Jake knew it was to establish whether he was like his father.  
And like Chris, she told him about Wesker as she remembered him.

"Alright, now that everyone´s here, you all know what to do. Don´t fight or switch names, just draw one and don´t show anyone whom you got. If you pick yourself, the you get another shot. So, who wants to start?" Jill looked around the room, waiting for the first volunteer or victim and Jake nearly groaned when Piers walked forwards, showing his hand deep into the hand with gusto before pulling out a small strip of paper. The smile on his face suggested nothing good as he walked away. 

"Got who I wanted. Alright, your turn, Jake!" Shoving the man forward he received a friendly smack in response as Jake walked forward and with a sigh just picked the first paper he found. _Piers Nivans._ Could be worse. Pocketing the slip he returned to stand beside Piers who wanted to ask him so badly whom he got, staring at him and Jake only smirked. 

"Tough shit, Puppy. Alright, are we done here?" 

"Yea. Let´s stop at the grocery store though. We ran out of orange juice and syrup." How did he go through a bottle so quickly? Jake shook his head, but didn´t argue, simply relieved to be finally out and away from all the cheery decorations. 

A gift for Piers. Now that was something to think about and he had no clue what to gift the man. He had about a week to think of a good present, too. Watching him as he drove, Jake leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. Christmas was always a weird time for him. Presents never mattered and he didn´t care for material things. There was nothing he could want. He had the money now to buy anything he could want, but had no use for it. What was the point? Spending money on himself made no sense. What was worse, he couldn´t ask him what he wanted, either. That would spoil the surprise.

Good thing grocery shopping didn´t take too long these days. In, grab what was needed, and out, all done in a few minutes. Jake liked efficiency like this. Letting Piers drive back to the apartments he was able to once more consider what he could gift someone like the sniper. A new scarf? He would never wear it, too attached to this one. A giant tub of hair wax? That was just ridiculous. A leash? Smirking for a moment he shook his head. No, he would save that for another time.

Back home, Jake barely put the groceries away before Piers once more tried to find out whose name he got. Pushing him out of the way he grumbled, grabbing an apple from the bowl before he noticed it. There was a small, fake snowflake. And another. Blinking he looked around and spotted more of them glued to the fridge. "Puppy, did you seriously decorate? When? How?" There was nothing this morning!

"I went back during lunch to do it. I wanted to get a tree as well..." A good thing he didn´t. And there were those puppy eyes again, making Jake sigh. 

"I guess a few decorations is fine as long as none of them need batteries."

"So _you´re_ the one who´s been stealing them!?"

"Me and Redfield. He has a drawer full of them." Smirking he reached into his pocket, once more feeling the slip of paper. He had to hide it somewhere safe. Maybe in his wallet or something. "We still have some time before the show. I think I´ll grab a shower early or something." Watching Piers sulk for a moment was actually pretty funny and Jake chuckled after a while, just taking a seat on the couch and turned the TV on to their favourite channel.

"There´s plenty of holiday cheer around the HQ anyway, we don´t need those dancing monstrosities around to add to it. I would rather decorate a chrysalid than hear another plastic tree sing a mechanic version of Jingle Balls."

"Jingle Bells."

"Same thing." Taking a bite of the apple he watched Piers grunt before making the popcorn, getting the bowl he bought specifically for that purpose. 

Around the HQ, people were surprised that the two managed to get along instead of killing each other. And after seeing Jake´s scary look of disapproval, many stopped treating Piers like he was still infected. Even if he might be. It didn´t matter. Watching him now, Jake couldn´t tell that he had ever been away for so many months. And he looked happy as well. 

Lately he had been watching him more, even when Piers was doing something as boring as working on his own report Jake found himself observing the man. The way he nibbled the end of a pen even while working on a computer, running his fingers through his hair as he worked only to seconds later tug them back into the usual shape.  
Watching Piers was becoming a habit that calmed him down and Jake felt like he was losing his touch more and more. Going back to being a mercenary was no longer possible. Working with someone without having to watch his back, knowing someone else would do that for him and not stab him, made Jake work more efficiently. And they were doing something good, which helped as well. No one to betray him.

"Is something wrong? You´ve been staring this whole time." Piers sat down with the large bowl of popcorn and Jake shrugged, standing up to toss the apple core away and grab some water as well as dim the lights.

"Nothing really. Just thinking about the last person whom I trusted and who betrayed me." Sitting back down he handed one bottle to Piers and leaned back.

"You never mentioned that..."

"I kinda did. It was before the jungle where I got the scar. The guy who betrayed us... he was my mentor. Taught me everything. From how to kill a man with my bare hands in various ways to loading a gun quickly and the various types. How to watch my back and all that. He was... kinda like a father figure I guess. Right up until someone paid him and he betrayed us. The rest of the story... you know. Though I never told you what happened to him did I?"

Jake looked at Piers whose eyes were glued to his face, a piece of popcorn raised halfway to his lips as though he was listening to a riveting tale.

"I killed him, of course. Because I was paid to. Bastard told me how proud he was, too. My face was barely starting to heal from the damn knife." Jake kept smiling as he grabbed a handful of popcorn. "I guess it could have been worse. In a way, everything that happened lead up to this, right?"

"I guess. Could have done without some of the shit though."

"Tell me about it." They shared a chuckle before the show finally began and both men fell silent quickly. Such fascinating weaponry. Jake would have loved to give them all a try, but that was impossible. And most probably illegal considering most were museum pieces.

"Damn, that looks amazing. Modern tanks might be better and more effective, but they don´t look so cool. Gramps used to ride one of those." Piers said it with no small amount of pride in his voice and that made Jake actually wonder about something. And as soon as the commercial came on...

"Why aren´t you actually living with your family, Puppy? Aren´t they happy that you came back? You don´t talk about them much. With all the shit you know about mine, why don´t you ever speak about them?" Piers´ expression changed for a moment, the man frowning as he stared at the popcorn bowl.

"I don´t want them to know... that I was a monster."

"They know you´re alive, right?"

"I asked Chris to tell them and that anything else is top secret." Now this kinda pissed him off. For one, Piers had a living family who worried and didn´t know what was up with the man. But that wasn´t the main reason.

"You´re not a fucking monster, Piers. And you never were. If anything, they would be fucking proud of you for what you did." The mere fact that the sniper still thought of himself like that bothered Jake more than he wanted to admit. "You´re a hero and I will keep repeating that until it gets permanently embedded in your head."

"But you have seen what I was-"

"And even if you still had a mutated arm you wouldn´t be a monster. Look at me!" He didn´t shout, but the tone of his voice forced Piers to look up, mismatched eyes staring into Jake´s blue ones. " _You_ are Piers Nivans. B.S.A.A.´s top sniper and probably future Captain. And people will follow you and trust you."

"Would you?"

"... yes."

For a moment he just stared at Piers, the green of his eye somewhat stronger in the dim light while the other seemed to glimmer. A side-effect of the virus conquered by the vaccine. His lashes looked even darker now. Longer, too. Jake was the one who wanted Piers to look at him, but now he was the one who needed to look away and soon. His gaze fell to the man´s lips for a second and he stared at them. The salt from the popcorn gave him even more of a pout.

"I would." And he meant it. A pink tongue darted out, swiping over his bottom lip for a second and Jake was fascinated by the small motion. It made his lips glisten now, pink and tantalizing. Piers said kissing felt nice with the right person, but what determined the right person? Maybe he should find out. And since he wasn´t moving away... maybe Piers wanted to help him find out.

"Jake?"

_"Hm?"_

"Maybe I want-" Whatever he wanted to say was interrupted. Jake´s ringtone filled the air and the man pulled away from Piers, unaware of how close he was mere seconds ago. Standing up he grabbed the phone from his jacket and couldn´t decide whether to feel annoyed or relieved.

"Hey, Supergirl... yea, I´m good... still alive, don´t worry. We get along just fine with the puppy... I still do, yea. He got used to it... Yea, I´ll tell him... Thanks, but I think I´ll be working... don´t worry about me, have fun with the Redfields.... sure, I will. Alright, drop by when you´ll have the time." Ending the call he stared at the phone for a moment, then turned the sound off and set it on the table, returning to Piers.

But the moment was gone.


	17. The Christmas Party

Shopping for another man was not as easy as it appeared at first. Jake weighted his options for a suitable gift for Piers, but after a while crossed them all of his list. Realizing that he didn´t know that much about the man bothered him and what he knew was not enough for a present. Clothing was out of the question and a stuffed toy was just ridiculous. Although to tease him he considered a stuffed dog he saw in the window of a toy store. A real dog collar would take things too far and would be more of a joke than anything. So what could he get the man?

Jewellery was a personal thing and he had no idea what Piers liked, if anything at all. A book? Read it once and then forget about it. The ideas he found online were not helping him either, since Piers definitely didn´t need a toolbox. Leaning back in the chair he closed the tab he had open when footsteps came close. Two more days left until the Christmas party and he still had nothing. Piers though seemed to be in really high spirits and wasn´t telling anyone why.

The jingle of a plastic tree singing a mechanized version of another Christmas carol reached his ears, soon silenced and when the steps came closer he looked up to see Redfield standing there with another pair of batteries in his palm, showing off his newest trophy. "I swear I will have a yearly supply at the end of this. What are you working on? You filed the last report yesterday."

After the talk, things settled down between them. Chris was not a bad man and Jake didn´t hate him for his past with Wesker. He went though more with the man than Jake knew. One might even say that they got along rather well, but neither was willing to admit it. Just like Jake refused to admit that he enjoyed the evenings at the apartment with Piers. Or beating the crap out of him at the gym. He was getting better at hand to hand combat though.

"Gift ideas. Can´t come up with anything good." Maybe Chris would know, but that would mean that Jake would need to tell him whom he drew.

"Heh, I remember feeling that way years ago. I wanted it to be special and personal and all that. Something that would last." And he chose well, even if the knife now changed owners. 

"A knife, huh?" Come to think of it, Piers rarely used the combat knife issued by the B.S.A.A., more of a rifle man and he was good at it, but a proper knife could save lives. Maybe that wasn´t such a bad idea. 

"I think I might just steal your idea. I´m not creative when it comes to these things." Another jingle started up in another room and he heard Chris grunt before he stalked off, having every intention of ending that.

"Sure, go ahead, but don´t forget to attend the party and dress up a bit. Maybe try some colour for a change." Jake flipped him off before looking back at the browser, opening a new tab. A proper combat knife... maybe with a personalized engraving of sort.

\---

The knife was done the morning of the Christmas party. Jake picked it up early and inspected every detail. Sharp, the sheath matching the pattern of Piers´ scarf (which took some searching and effort), but it looked good as far as he was concerned. Testing the balance of the knife himself he stared at the engraving near the handle. The B.S.A.A. logo was impeccable, but more than that he lingered on the name. _Piers Nivans_. Initials would have been simpler, but he preferred it like this. "Great. Pack it up, slap a ribbon on it or whatever."

Present all wrapped he hid it in his inner pocket, the bulging package poking him uncomfortably. "Now let´s see, he wanted eggnog that comes in a red box, we need tomatoes and coffee..." Going over the grocery list Piers wrote he didn´t even look at the bottom where the usual junk was written, but he got it anyway. Passing by the store beside it he stopped, staring inside for a while, frowning as he searched the display. Gone. Well, it wouldn´t be there forever.

Thank fuck the stores were not full in the morning and he managed to be in and out within ten minutes. Piers was at the HQ, helping with decorating, so once he returned to the apartment, Jake had a couple hours for himself. The present was hidden for now and he looked through his closet for something that could be considered more suitable for something like a Christmas party. He liked black. But maybe this once, he could actually wear the blue shirt. Still perfectly ironed, the tag still on, Jake tore it away and glared at the garment as though it offended him. It would do. Just this once.

He had another thing ready, just as an addition, but it wasn´t anything physical. Whenever he could Jake went to the lounge at the HQ and when Piers wasn´t there, he tried to actually come up with a song. Many a paper have been shredded during the first attempts before he was finally on to something. He spent hours on it, playing it over and over again until the whole song was imprinted into his mind. No, it would never compare to the masterpieces of the ages, but he liked it. And he hoped that Piers would at well, once he would play it to him in private. Which wouldn´t be tonight considering the lounge was where the party would take place.

Piers only came home to shower and change clothes, giddy with excitement. His present would be delivered while they were gone and he instructed the guard downstairs to let the men in and take care of everything. This being B.S.A.A. housing there were a few more rules after all. Staring into the mirror, fixing his hair over and over again until it was perfect, he was more than ready to see his reaction later. There was something else as well, but that would come later... when no one else was around. Because it was too personal. Too special to be shared with others. It was just for Jake.

"Ready to go? Sheesh, you spend more time in your hair than Sherry." Jake was leaning against the doorway, watching him as he put on his coat. "Come on, let´s go before we´re late and you´ll sulk because of it."

"I don´t sulk." Piers tried to argue, grabbing his phone to take as many photos as he could before following Jake outside, letting the man lock the door.

"You sulk all the time, Puppy." There was that pout again and Jake chuckled as they walked outside. No car, since there might be drinking involved, and they could take a taxi back if necessary. Bulky package hidden underneath his jacket once more, Jake almost regretted going with the blue shirt, not use to anything with colour after so long. Then again, Sherry picked it and she had good taste.

"Ready to have fun?" Rolling his eyes as they entered the building he followed the eager man, leaving their jackets in the office the rest of Alpha team shared. No need to drag those around. And Piers looked really nice in the forest green shirt, the black vest adding a nice accent. His eyes were shining. Briefly he recalled that not long ago he was staring too closely into them and nearly did something unforgivable.

"Wow, you look great! I told you to wear colour more often! The blue really brings out your eyes." Apparently he wasn´t the only one staring as he caught Piers shamelessly looking him over. He had to thank Sherry later for this.

"Let´s just go before Valentine sends out a search party. I hear she´s worse than you." The music from the lounge was loud, echoing down the hallway and when they entered, the party was already going, people gathered around in small groups and talking. The decorations were everywhere, a large tree in one corner and too many lights were used to light the room instead of any normal lighting. It looked pretty good actually. And he didn´t need to ask who made a glowing B.S.A.A. sign on the wall, either, as it had Piers written all over it.

"So you came after all. What did he have to do this time to get you to come?" Simon greeted them first, a glass of eggnog in hand and a happy smile on his face, sporting a headband with antlers on it without an ounce of shame. Another part was in his hand and he reached towards Jake for a moment before recoiling. "On the other hand, I think I like my limbs attached."

"You learn quickly." Jake smirked and looked to Piers who gingerly placed the headband on his head, avoiding messing up his hair. "He just had to look at me with those puppy eyes. I think he´s been abusing them, too. Maybe I should start wearing shades like my old man."

"Good luck pulling that off. Even he was ridiculed sometimes for wearing them." Chris did tell him of the few times the team made fun of Wesker for wearing them at night. "Good to see you come. Come on, the eggnog has been spiked already and the food´s great." Patting Jake´s shoulder he smiled briefly, his gaze moving to Piers after a moment. "And just a warning: Jill went a little crazy with the mistletoe again, so better watch out."

Jake looked up, glaring at the ceiling as he spotted a few bushels hanging here and there, but easily avoidable once he knew where they were. Catching her eye he shook his head. She wasn´t getting him with this crap. "Alright then, let´s... have fun I guess."

"That´s the spirit! Let´s get some eggnog into you before someone decides to spike it again and turns it into pure booze." Jake would rather avoid drinking, but seeing that there was no alcohol-free beer (that he became quite fond of by now) he settled on accepting the one glass and sticking to that.

The party was actually pretty fun. The music was normal, rather than full of awful carols and everyone was enjoying themselves. It made sense that both Chris and Piers saw the B.S.A.A. as one big family. And now Jake was a part of this mess as well and it felt nice. Like he belonged. For how long, he didn´t know, but he would take what he could. Now to find an opportune moment to gift Piers the knife somehow. In front of everyone else was a bit strange... but Jake was proud of it. Even if the idea was stolen.

Taking the opportunity to sneak out and retrieve the box when no one paid attention, Jake returned to the party only to find Piers talking to Chris and Jill by the piano, the woman hitting a key now and then in tune with the music. "Might as well get this over with now." He would have preferred to catch Piers alone, but this was fine as well.

"Piers?" Getting his attention was easy enough, but that also made the other two curiously look at him, then the box in his hands and Jill´s smile was too bright for his liking. "Merry Christmas, Puppy." And suddenly it was actually embarrassing. But worth the shock in Piers´ face as he set the box into his hands and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You were-"

"Yea. Open it. Or not. It´s yours, so-" Before he could finish Piers was already tearing into the paper, carefully removing the ribbon and after a second pocketed it. Jake watched him, wanting to see if he even liked it and when the lid was finally removed he saw his eyes widen.

"It matches." Though right now he wasn´t wearing the scarf, Piers could already tell that the pattern was nearly the same. Most carefully he lifted the sheath from the box, touching it carefully before slowly removing the knife from it. "Wow, it´s beautiful! It even has the B.S.A.A. logo and-... my name?"

"Can´t have anyone else using it, right?" Jake was relieved. The present seemed to be well-received and he caught Chris smiling almost sadly, probably lost in his memories for a while.

"Hm, that reminds me of how you got Wesker that knife, Chris. All in private and whatnot. And then you two spent the next hour in his office being about as inconspicuous as Jake´s scar. Not at all." Jill let out a laugh, patting the man´s shoulder briefly before whispering something to him that made his eyes widen, then narrow. "Later, don´t worry. Just enjoy the party." She winked, then went to get more eggnog, her glass empty.

"It´s beautiful. Thank you, Jake. That´s actually kinda weird, since I´m your Secret Santa and your present-" Checking his phone, Piers smiled. "Was delivered a few minutes ago at our place. So you´ll have to wait to see it, sorry. But it would be a pain to drag it here."

"Piers, I only need _one_ puppy in my life."

"I didn´t get you a dog, idiot. It´s-... you will see." Sheathing the knife again, Piers smiled, holding the box carefully in his hand now. He was definitely keeping that one as well. 

"So you guys were each other´s Secret Santa? Heh, that´s funny." Simon was back again, staring at the piano for a moment before hitting a few keys. "Not as easy as it looks in the movies, huh?"

"Jake can play." The man´s head snapped to Piers and a frown marred his brow. But Piers realized what he said too late and met his gaze head-on. "And he´s great at it, too. Don´t go hitting the keys or you´ll break it."

"Are you kidding? This brute? No way. I have seen his hands kill and there´s no way he could play the piano." Simon laughed again, but the words agitated the former mercenary. Piers wanted to argue, defend the man, but it seemed that Jake needed no defence.

"Are you doubting my skill?"

"Go on then! Show us what you got!" Another laugh, the alcoholic eggnog probably having to do with the boisterous attitude, but Jake didn´t care. A challenge like this wasn´t bad. Glancing to Piers he walked over to the piano, sitting down and ran his fingers over the ivory keys for a moment.

"Piers. Pick something. You got me into this, so you better pick well." He could always play the one he wrote for the man, but that was something private. He was saving it for later.

"Then... your mother´s favourite... _Liebestraum_ , right?" He remembered and Jake smiled for a moment, then nodded.

After the first few notes, someone turned the music off and instead the soft piano tunes filled the room. No one dared speak a word and many stares, not believing their eyes as they stared at the man behind the piano. Piers felt proud. It was beautiful. And perfect for Christmas as well. Chris and Jill were staring, the whole Alpha team moving closer to listen as Jake´s fingers moved over the keys, his eyes closed. For a moment, it was like she was there. 

When the song ended, his eyes slowly opened and he was greeted by silence. And then the applause came and Jake quickly stepped away from the piano, moving to Piers. "You´ll pay for this, Puppy."

"Damn, man, I had no idea! What else can you do? I mean I saw you in action and I never thought you can play. Will you play something else?" Simon´s tone was excited now and Jake shrugged instead of brushing him off.

"Maybe later. You know, the air here is kinda hot right now, so I think I´ll go cool off. Wanna come with me, Puppy?"

"Sure." Piers eagerly took him up on that offer, box still in hand as he followed the man outside and the music started up again, but now the people had something new to talk about as well. Jake stepped outside the lounge and sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Sorry, I wasn´t really thinking and-"

"It´s fine." Jake interrupted him, eyes opening to stare at Piers. He even looked sorry.

"Are you sure?"

"If I wouldn´t be I wouldn´t say it. They would have found out sooner or later anyway, so it doesn´t matter. Anyway, I´m glad you like the knife. Not an original idea I guess, but... there´s always part two. But you´ll have to wait for that." He would need the lounge to be empty. Maybe tomorrow or the day after.

The halls were empty, everyone at the party and being away for a while helped. The rest of it went rather well, though he had to refuse to play again a few times, not used to an audience of more than one Piers. Shortly before midnight, everyone was starting to slow down and tiredness began to seep in. 

"I guess we might as well head back home." Piers felt tired after spending all day decorating and then at the party. Jake looked rather ready to get some rest as well, having had more than just one glass of eggnog after the semi-sweet taste got to him.

"Sure, let´s go. I´m still curious about the present. You said it was delivered?" Very few things required delivery from what he knew. Saying goodbye to everyone else, or more like raising his hand to wave, they left, quickly retuning home with the cold air biting at their faces. The warmth of the apartment was a welcome change to that and Jake shrugged his jacket off happily.

"Come on, this way!" Piers barely got his coat off before pulling on Jake´s hand, dragging him to the living room. There it was, unpacked as it was at the store when he went to check it out. The piano was old and had a few dents and scratches, obviously well-used and loved in its time, but the condition was otherwise perfect. The old man at the store guaranteed that and tuned it himself.

"... do you like it?" For once, Jake was at a loss for words.


	18. No need for mistletoe

Jake couldn´t believe this. Why was there a fucking piano in the living room? And why was Piers so smug about it? He refused to believe that he managed to get it all the way here without Jake knowing a thing and just stared at the instrument that stood there so innocently. It was the one he had been looking at each time he went to the grocery store, the antiques next door having it just within view when looking from the outside. Never had he gone in to actually touch it. There was a piano at the lounge at the HQ, so why bother?

"I saw you looking you know. Not as subtle as you thought you were, but you never went in. And you love to play. So I thought why not, right? Doesn´t really match the rest of the furniture, but I like the way it makes the place feel. More like home, right?

"Get them to take it back, Piers." Jake´s voice was soft as he continued to just look at it, steps away from actually touching it and his face was unreadable.

"No."

"I said-"

"And I said no. Jake, it´s my Christmas gift to you and that´s final. Maybe not the most normal gift, but too fucking bad, since neither of us can be considered normal by any standard. And like this you can play whenever you want." Piers gently set the box with the knife on the table, taking it out once more to admire it. 

"I can´t accept it. I won´t. It´s too much." He turned away from it and looked at Piers, as though expecting him to do something about the piano right there on the spot.

"It´s not... Jake. It´s okay to want things and have them. It doesn´t change who you are as a person, even if you are being a giant pain in my ass right now. You love to play and I really enjoy listening to you play. And now you can play even more." Not letting himself have anything at all, Jake was probably so used to not having anything of value and it pained Piers to see him this way, but at the same time his determination to get him to accept it only grew.

_"Piers-"_

"It´s staying. And that´s final. No one else would appreciate it as much as you." Grabbing the man´s arm he tugged him over to the instrument. "It´s not the newest thing or anything, but I think it´s much better than an electronic keyboard. The sound is much better. So why don´t you try playing something?"

"It looks just like the one my mother used to play." Letting go of his arm, Piers stared at him with wide eyes. Now this was new. Though that didn´t mean it was a bad thing, right? Only that more memories were tied to it. "That´s why I was always looking at it. Thought it looked too much alike, but there´s no way a piano would get all the way from Edonia here."

"Who knows... anyway, why don´t you try playing something? The man said he tuned it, but I would rather trust your word on this." Moving Jake closer was easy and he watched the man sit down, still dazed. His fingers were tense as he rolled up his sleeves, showing off the powerful forearms. Something about the way his hands moved was simply fascinating.

Neither spoke as Jake actually began to play, the familiar tune that he had in his head for days now filling the room. He should have thought to test the piano with another song first, but he wasn´t exactly capable of thinking straight now. His fingers were moving automatically and there was an eerily familiar feeling as he played. Piers sat on the couch, leaning against the backrest and just watched Jake play, studying his face, his expression, the way his eyes closed at certain parts and opened. He couldn´t place the song though, something about the melody simply new. The way it rose and fell, the way Jake´s hands slid over the keys rapidly before slowing. It was somewhat appropriate for the instrument.

Long minutes passed before Jake´s hand stilled and the song came to an end. Realising that his eyes closed, Piers opened them quickly to see Jake touch the old wood as though searching for something familiar. "That was lovely. See? I told you it will be great here. So what was the song called? I haven´t heard that one before."

"For Piers."

"No, I mean the name of the song you played just now." Piers stood up, going to the fridge to get some water, his mouth feeling dry after all the eggnog he had. Getting through to someone as stubborn as Jake was not an easy task, but he was learning with each day they spent together. The more time he spent with the man, the more he could understand what he did and why. 

"The song. It´s called _For Piers_. I wrote it for you." Jake rose from the piano, almost overwhelmed at this point and needed to step away for a while. As stunning as it was, it still felt like too much even now. It felt unreal.

"Did you just say you _wrote_ it? For me?" Piers wiped his mouth as he almost spilled water everywhere in the kitchen and watched the man move ever so casually to the couch.

"You heard me." Saying it so casually. Just when he thought that he couldn´t be surprised, Jake just did something like this. Writing a song for him though, that was... romantic. Not a thing men usually did for other men. Setting the bottle down he needed a moment to compose himself for a while before recalling the most important thing. The piano was just... a thing he wanted to get for him. But he had something else.

"I still have something else for you." Going to his room, Piers quickly found the envelope at the bottom of his closet and stared at it. He had a look inside before, just to make sure everything was fine. 

"It better not be a violin. It´s been years since I played that last." With a roll of his eyes, Piers returned to the other man and sat down beside him.

"Funny. No, it´s... something better. Chris told me about S.T.A.R.S. a while ago and the people there. And you said he told you that your father wasn´t always, you know-..."

"Insane?"

"Yea. Well. I got in contact with one of them who knew him even before that. And... well. Just open it. You´ll understand." Piers was bad at explaining something like this and just handed the envelope to Jake who raised a brow. With his back to the piano he felt more focused, but if Piers had another surprise waiting. "Don´t even ask what it is, alright? Just open it."

"I don´t like being ordered around."

"Get used to it then." Seeing Jake chuckle he was able to relax some more and sighed, watching his fingers open the envelope with ease, several photographs spilling into his hands. It took a moment before recognition appeared in his eyes.

"Puppy, what did you do?" The tremble in Jake´s voice was almost worrying, but his hands matched the tremble as he stared at the photograph. A woman with bright red here stood there beside a grand piano, smiling into the camera and holding onto the arm of the man beside her. A man with slicked back blond hair and dark shades hiding his eyes. Wesker looked so young in that photograph, too. Both dressed rather formally, but smiling.

"Burton worked with your father before S.T.A.R.S., while in the Air Force. This was one of the balls or something." Jake looked at another photo, this one showing them closer, looking at each other instead. Dancing? It looked so odd to see them like this. So happy. Wesker´s face was devoid of the dark shades as well and his eyes were fixed on her.

"They look... happy." Another photo. There were large flower bushes in the background while the two were posing for another photo, at least this time more casually dressed, the shades back on Wesker´s face. Jake´s mother always kept her hair so long that he nearly forgot. Even when she was sick it looked the same. But the more he stared at Wesker´s face, the more he could see what Chris meant. They looked almost too much alike.

More photos followed, all of them labelled with a month and a year and sometimes even a place in the back. Botanical Garden. Air Force ball. A fair. One merely as Wesker´s first date. Jake could not stop staring at the faces of the two people responsible for his existence. Seeing his mother so happy eased some of the pain he felt all these years. She was not just used. Not just a fling. They were together. And his father was more than just some monster.

"Jake?" His hands were shaking as he stared at the very first photo of the two posing at the ball. 1991. A year later Jake was born, though the exact date was a mystery even to him. Could she be... even then? There was no way to find out now. Jake continued to stare until his eyes were blurry and the shake reached his shoulders as well.

"Why do you have to do... those stupid, thoughtful things?" Jake set the photos down on the table barely a second before his lashes could no longer handle the weight of the tears and the first two fell, soaking into the carpet quickly. Huh, what a strange feeling. Crying never helped anyone and Jake regarded it as useless and a weakness. And now he was doing exactly that and for some reason couldn´t stop.

"Call it revenge for calling me Puppy all the time." Piers tried to go for a light-hearted comment, but seeing the state Jake was in he refrained from teasing him. Seeing the photos on the table he smiled, recalling how annoyed Burton was at the request before Piers firmly reminded him of everything that S.T.A.R.S. and the B.S.A.A. did for him. It took the man a day to find all of them. And it was more than worth it.

Jake´s shoulders continued to shake as he fought the tears, knuckled white with the way his hands were clenched on his knees. When arms wrapped around his shoulders he didn´t have the strength to fight it any longer. Years of pent up emotion spilled all at once and he found himself gripping at Piers´ shirt, his face hiding in the other´s chest in the moment of weakness. And Piers let him, not saying a word as Jake cried.

They sat like that for a while, even when Jake finally ceased to tremble and his breathing calmed down, the grip on his shirt loosening. For a moment he thought he fell asleep. And he wouldn´t blame him if he would, either. He would never forget this moment. 

Slowly the other man pulled away, sighing as he rubbed his face. So many emotions over the course of a single evening took their toll on Jake. He felt tired, yet happy at the same time. Seeing the photos he realized that this was no fever dream and carefully put them all back into the envelope, too worried that some damage might come to them otherwise. "You´re going to need another picture frame or two."

"I think that was enough gifts to last me a lifetime." Jake´s comment was light-hearted and he sighed leaning back again the couch, eyes closed for a moment, taking it all in, accepting it slowly more and more. When he turned his head and opened his eyes just to watch Piers, he looked happy. Jake ignored the wet stain on his shirt that no doubt came from his tears. This Puppy was far more than just met the eye. Redfield was right. With how he was and everything he stood for, Piers would make a wonderful Captain one day.

"Come on, let´s go to bed." Now there was a good idea. Jake slowly stood up and stretched, envelope in hand and once more looked to the piano.

"I will write down the notes to the song for you... and give it to you once I think of a name. Even if you can´t read notes." Didn´t matter much at all. As for a title, that was something more complicated. Closing the top over the keys there was still a lingering disbelief that this was all real and Jake would need a while to get used to the presence.

"That sounds great. I can´t believe you wrote me a song. You know, it´s kinda weird, but I like it." Piers set the knife into his room, right beside the bed, removing his vest.

"Why weird?" Jake set the envelope on his nightstand, tempted to take out one photo and see them again, but he couldn´t bring himself to do that just yet. He needed more time.

"Well, that´s the kind of thing people do for someone they like."

"I guess that means I _like_ you."

"I don´t mean like that." Piers sighed, wondering how to explain this to someone like Jake, completely missing the faint smile on the other´s face as he stood in the doorway and watched him. "It´s like when... I don´t know. Kinda romantic you know."

"I still don´t see a problem." Jake stepped into the room, eyes never leaving the other man as Piers stood up to retrieve clean shirt to sleep in, missing that Jake was right behind him, watching his back, the slight change in skin

"You´re impossible." That almost sounded like a compliment and Jake was glad that their usual banter was back since it allowed him to focus. A title for the song... maybe he could use some more inspiration. When the other turned around Jake continued to block his way for the hell of it before noticing something.

"Jake?"

"Hm?"

"You´re in the way."

"And?" Still not moving, the former mercenary continued to watch him, seeing a few more beauty marks on his body from this angle, ones he missed whenever Piers washed the dishes shirtless since he could not see his front. Pressing the tip of his finger to each and every one of them now was strangely satisfying. Mapping out his body like this...

"Jake..." He wasn´t just imagining it. He couldn´t! It would have made no sense that after all this time... there was just no way. Piers stared at the other man for a moment, not daring to move before something inside him snapped and he pushed the hand away from him, almost angry.

"You are so irritating."

"And you talk too much." Piers really did love chatting on about one thing or another and his comment at the party ended up with Jake playing for an entire room of people, some of which might not care much for Wesker´s son.

"Then I guess I should find a way to be silent." The low tone of his voice should have been Jake´s first warning, but he either ignored it or didn´t notice. The second should have been the firsts gripping his shirt, but instead of pushing Piers away he let him. There was no third warning, just those mismatched eyes coming closer and the warmth of his pouty lips.

Kissing was a new thing for Jake. But it wasn´t that complicated. Just a simple touch of lips against lips, nothing groundbreaking. But it still made his heartbeat speed up while he stared into the sniper´s eyes, slowly letting one arm wrap around his waist while his other hand rose to cradle the side of his face. It could have stayed a simple kiss, but there was nothing simple about either of them or their strange friendship.

He let Piers lead for a while, letting him be in charge for a while before pressing him closer, the hand on the small of his back splaying over the warm skin and the grip on his shirt relaxed, the hands instead sliding around his neck. And even though Piers might be a better kisser, Jake was a quick learner, soon mimicking the gentle parting of his lips, tongue tentatively brushing over the other´s lips as he kissed him and the smallest sound escaped Piers´ throat.

For a first kiss this wasn´t bad at all. In fact, Jake was enjoying it, the sweet warmth radiating off of the other man comforting, but at the same time strangely alluring, pulling him in closer as he deepened the kiss. Another faint sound and he felt Piers press close, the man´s heartbeat matching his own, if not somewhat more frantic. Such an intense feeling. Pulling away after a moment, Jake stared at the man, the way his eyes shone or how his lips glistened, plump and pouty as always. Piers´ lips were even softer than they looked whenever Jake stared at him, warm and supple, making him want to kiss him even more. 

And he did.


	19. Bruises and secrets

His back hit the floor with a thud, knocking the breath out of him and Piers gasped, staring at the ceiling for a moment. His whole body ached and his head was spinning as the man leaned over him, a look of concern in the familiar face. He was putting in so much effort, but his head was just elsewhere and there was no helping it. Piers sighed, accepting the hand and let Chris pull him back to his feet. "Take five. Did something happen, Piers? You´re not your usual self."

No shit. Last night he crossed the damn line they seemed to be dancing around with Jake and instead of being punched or ridiculed as he expected to be, the man kissed him enough to take his breath away. And for someone who never kissed anyone, he was way too good at it. Piers still felt that hint of smugness left behind over being his first kiss. Such a childish thing and yet, he enjoyed it. But after that, more questions remained and neither seemed eager to answer them anytime soon. 

But eventually they would. Piers wiped his face with a damp towel and stared at the training mats for a while. Jake was off training with Jill, both of them hitting it off rather well for some reason, and he was with Chris. The man looked strange lately, as though he wasn´t getting enough sleep, but his performance was still great. "Nah, everything´s fine. I guess I´m just tired. Jake and I were up late last night and-" He stopped, thinking for a moment before it caught up with him.

"Uh, you were up late... together?" Chris was trying hard not to smile.

"Not like that!" Almost exactly like that. There was no one kiss and then goodnight. More followed, the two deciding that catching up on the missed mistletoe kisses from the party was in order and Jake was the first to pull away eventually, claiming they should get some sleep. Piers was ready to protest, wanting more of his kisses, the warm lips on his own, but instead of words he yawned and ended up nodding. But sleep still took a while.

"We were just... hanging out." To put it lightly. Piers groaned and hid his face in the towel for a moment, ignoring Chris´ chuckle and looked up only when Jill came into the room, chatting away with Jake who was rubbing his shoulder.

"No idea where you found this one. She nearly dislocated my shoulder." He sounded happy about it.

"And he nearly choked me out and gave me a concussion."

"You two are awfully friendly. Should I start worrying about something, Jill?" Chris grabbed a bottle of water, watching team Delta head to the showers, done with their training as well.

"About me changing training partners maybe. I´m not into kids. Besides, I´m not his type. Right, Muller?"

"I´m not a kid. And I´m not into old women." Deadpan he stared at her before looking to Piers. His face was read and he had a bruise on his shoulder that wasn´t there before. Training hard or hardly training?

"Brat. I´m not that old!" She smacked the back of his head and laughed before turning around and heading for the women´s locker rooms while Jake stared at Piers once more, the sniper standing up and stretching. He really looked out of it for some reason and refused to look at him. In the morning he was oddly silent as well.

"I´m done for today." He needed a shower and to cool his head. If Piers had regrets he better just outright say it instead of wasting time, but the man couldn´t even look at him for more than a few seconds. Chris watched him leave, then his eyes shifted to his best man and he stared at Piers for a moment as well. 

"You two should probably talk. And soon. If he´s anything like Wesker, and I know he is... you need to talk." Not elaborating he moved over to the weights, determined to continue his own training for a while longer. He had the time. Paperwork on his desk could wait until later or after work hours since he had nothing better to do. 

"Yea, I guess." But he wasn´t looking forward to that. Dragging his feet to the locker room he barely retrieved his things from his locker when he saw the sticker over Jake´s name again. The man was in the showers already, but there it was. _WESKER_. In bold letters, right over _Muller_. But there was no one else around now. "Fucking asshole..."

When he first heard about this, he thought Jake was kidding, his relationship to Albert Wesker considered classified information. But then he saw the sticker himself. Always here, always shortly before Jake would finish training, but there was no way to catch anyone. The camera at the entrance was no help since groups of people often came and went together. And now again, another sticker was just there and he grabbed the knife he got from Jake, removing it effortlessly. "When I find out who-"

"Don´t bother. Either that asshole will keep doing it or try to kill me. Either way, it´s fine." Jake was quick. Done with his shower the man was quickly dried off and got dressed, not even looking at Piers now and that only made him frown more, rushing the sticker in his hand.

"It´s not fine! Your relationship to your father has been classified and you... you don´t deserve to be treated like this!" Piers crushed the sticker in his hand as he stared at Jake, hating how blasé he seemed about it.

"Puppy, it´s fine." The man finished getting dressed and looked at him.

"It´s not. Jake, you are not your father. You said it yourself." Staring at him, Piers wanted to do something to get his point across.

"At least you finally looked at me." Now this surprised him. It took a moment to realize what Jake meant and immediately he looked away. A moment later he was shoved against his locker, Jake´s hands firmly on his shoulders. "Don´t you start this shit now!"

"Jake-" 

His words were cut off quickly with the man´s lips pressed against his own and the next second he was kissing him back. Unlike the first kiss yesterday, it wasn´t gentle or slow. He could feel the man´s anger in the kiss, the grip on his shoulders tightening briefly as their tongues clashed. Passionate and hot and Piers loved every second of it. The sticker and towel fell from his hand in favour of pulling Jake closer, not wanting the kiss to end just yet. When they finally parted, he was even more dazed.

"You´ve been avoiding me since morning. But from this I gather you don´t regret it, so stop it, Piers."

"I... sorry, I didn´t realize." A part of him did, but he needed an excuse right now. "I won´t avoid you again. I just thought... we were both kinda drunk a bit last night."

"I told you that the antibodies take care of that. And while you don´t have them, you kissed me first. So if you regret it-"

_"I don´t!"_

"Then I guess we have an understanding." The grip loosened and he saw Jake smile again. Seeing that, Piers relaxed as well, quickly picking up the towel from the floor. His mind felt more at ease and Jake pulled away from him, petting the top of his head briefly. Like he might a dog. "Go shower. I´ll wait in the lobby for you, aright? Don´t take too long."

In a much better mood, Piers was able to shower quicker than usually, even style his hair, but the stickers still bothered him. Someone seemed to have it out for Jake and he didn´t like that it has been happening for weeks, but no one came forth just yet. Like they enjoyed messing with him and upsetting him. Though Piers was the one more upset than Jake.

Meeting up with him in the lobby, Piers saw Jill walking away as Jake pocketed something, a slip of paper from what he caught before it was gone. "Hey. Let´s just order pizza tonight; I don´t feel like cooking. And none of that pineapple thing." He still felt annoyed that someone came up with putting fruit on a pizza. 

"Come on, I swear it´s not bad. What did Jill want?"

"She was just on her way out and came to bitch about me kicking her ass during training." Jake smirked, tilting his head towards the door and the two walked out and into the crisp winter air. Piers tugged the scarf tighter around his neck and shuddered, the tip of his ears and nose quickly turning red. He really wasn't a fan of the cold.

Thankfully, the walk home didn´t take long. They could have taken the car, but lately walking was more enjoyable. As they walked, a few couples passed by, holding hands, caught in their own little world and it made Piers wonder if they would do something like that. Kissing was one thing. PDA another thing entirely. Plus the whole dating thing seemed... they might not have time for that. So where did that leave them? Or maybe this was just about kissing and-

"Puppy!" Head snapping up he looked to Jake and found him smiling. "You´re really spacing out there. Again. I asked if you want to order now so it gets home sooner. I have a thing to do later."

"A thing?"

"Just an errand to run for Valentine, don´t worry about it." So that was probably it. The slip of paper he saw had to do with that for sure. And something told him he shouldn´t ask to come along. Ordering pizza didn´t take long and they walked in relative silence until they reached their apartment. But the moment the door closed he pushed Jake against the wall and had only to thank pressing their lips together that he wasn´t punched, if the raised fist was any indication.

He wanted to kiss Jake and repay him for the new bruise he had on his back thanks to being shoved against a locker. But mostly this was about kissing him. And Jake didn´t seem to mind at all, returning the kiss after a moment, but Piers stubbornly took charge, hands pinning Jake to the wall by the shoulders, even though he had to lean up to kiss him. Damn Jake for being so tall...

"Puppy, what has gotten into you?" He knew the question was coming the moment he pulled away and Jake´s ice-blue stare bore into him. But he had no answer.

"Guess I just wanted to kiss you." Jake didn´t believe that, but instead of pushing he nodded. They could talk later. About a lot of things, it seemed. For one, talking about what this was or where it could lead should be first. Because he didn´t know. Kissing Piers felt good and he enjoyed it. Would he do more? Now that was a question he didn´t know how to answer. Mostly because to Jake, sex equalled money. Doing it for any other reason seemed strange.

Sitting on the couch and eating pizza while watching their favourite show was comforting. A strange sense of familiarity was present that helped both men relax, enjoy each other´s company. The talk could wait. There was no more kissing and Jake kept checking his phone for the time before realizing he had to leave. Standing up he sighed, staring at Piers for a moment before going to retrieve his gun.

"I´ll try to make it quick. Don´t feel like being out too long, but I´ll be quiet in case it gets late so I don´t wake you up, alright?"

"Okay. Though I might be awake." Jake smiled, grabbing his Jacket before suddenly leaning down and pressing a kiss to Piers´ cheek, right above the two beauty marks.

"Don´t stay up too long. You look tired." He said nothing more as he headed out, locking the door behind him and looked at the paper once more. Better go and see what this was all about.

_I need you to do me a favour. Go to this bar. A man will be waiting and you need to talk to him. I promise it´s safe._

Safe. Jake felt safe when he had his gun and walking down the dark street he didn´t care what Jill said. This was suspicious as fuck and he had no idea who was waiting. The bar itself was rather... on the fancy side. No loud music, no drunks shouting and bottles of liquor lined the bar. Though he had no idea whom he was meeting, a shiver made him face the room and glare. Whoever he was meeting was already here and watching him. 

His eyes scanned the room, slowly, dismissing one table after another, but that took mere seconds before he was suddenly walking forward, heading towards a lone table by the wall. This was fucking impossible. There was no possible way this man was there, but there wasn´t anyone quite like him. After all, Jake was familiar with his features now. The slicked back blond hair and the ever-present dark shades that he was sporting even now. Gloved hands were toying with a glass of amber liquid and his other hand pointed to the seat opposite him.

And Jake took it, staring at the man whose features matched his own nearly perfectly. A waiter came and Jake didn´t even look at him, not saying a word until the man left again. He wasn´t here to drink or chat. He wanted answers. From this man and from Valentine who sent him here. But first things first.

"Last thing I heard you took a fucking rocket to the face while bathing in lava. So tell me, how the fuck are you still alive, _Wesker_?"


	20. Father and son

After everything he had heard about the man before him, Jake was not as surprised as he should be to see him still alive. He looked just like in all the photos he had seen of him, too. Stern and focused. So fucking professional and perfect it hurt to look at him. The slicked back hair and shades and his gloved hands, it all pissed Jake off so damn much. But this was the man his mother loved for some reason and according to the photos, he actually gave a fuck about her. Because for a while, Jake thought it was no more than a fling... or even that force was involved.

"Uroboros kept me alive. Barely so. I have Christopher to thank for my survival as well as Jill. In more ways than one." So that was the reason he was still there?

"Good for you. What do you want with me?" Jake´s tone was just as harsh as he intended it to be as he stared at the man. It was so tempting to put a bullet into his head, to see how he could recover from something like that. Empty the whole chamber into his fucking chest...

"You are my son, Jake. And I have more than a fair share of things to make up for. Starting with you. I didn´t know... that my time with your mother resulted in a child. If I had known, I would have been there for you both."

"Then why didn´t you go after her when she left?" If he cared so much, why not use all that influence of his to find her again?

"She left me a note not to. That she was going back to Edonia and we would meet again someday." Wesker finished the glass and pushed it to the edge of the table, the waiter quickly coming by to retrieve it and set another one in front of the man, staring expectantly at Jake for a moment and the man caved in. "Any alcohol-free beer you have." That seemed to satisfy the waiter enough.

"How long have you two been... I don´t even know if you were together." What was their relationship even? His instincts screamed at him to yell at Wesker, to deck him or call Redfield or do something instead of asking questions. But he was not the man that Sherry met in Edonia. He changed and was painfully aware of it. And he blamed both Sherry and Piers for that.

"We were dating, as they call it. Over a year, though because of my work we didn´t get to meet often, we both enjoyed the time we could spend together. I can truly say I treated her well. She was the first one to show me there is more to life than just work." For a second he thought he saw the man smile. What a disturbing sight.

"How did you meet?" 

"A bar of sorts, where she played the piano. Came to America to do exactly that. She was... a fascinating creature. And didn´t seem intimidated by me at all, which was oddly refreshing. I don´t know how much you are aware of my upbringing and past-"

"I know everything the files had on you and then some."

"I see. Everything you read is probably true. Something like music wasn´t seen as important, but it was her life. It was mesmerizing to see her play and how she enjoyed every second. That evening, I spoke more to her than anyone else in my life. Though I am ashamed to admit that it was Burton who was responsible for our first date. Things like romance were also not involved in my education." He saw Wesker frown, stopping for a moment as the beer was brought and only continued when the waiter left. "Love and affection are a weakness. That has been ingrained into the Wesker children since we can remember."

"Looks like you did a shit job adhering to that. Both with my mother and Redfield." He saw the pale eyebrows rise and felt a slight twinge of satisfaction.

"So you know-"

"He told me. Everything. After I pointed out that he´s really fucking obvious about it and an asshole thinking he can hide it. Besides, he still has your knife." Odd that his father never considered using it against Chris when they fought. Or maybe he didn´t want to.

"I am aware that he kept it." He had visited Chris sometimes at night, when he knew the man was asleep and it pained him to see him hurting still. But he could not go back. Not after everything. He had no excuses, only explanations.

"I´m not even going to ask how you know because it´s creepy as fuck and I know you didn´t talk to him. You owe him that much, Wesker." Speaking on behalf of the man who shot his father with an RPG had to be the most confusing feeling he had. "Speaking of, how exactly did you survive a fucking volcano and a rocket to the face?"

"Ah yes, I knew you would ask." Jake leaned back, sipping the beer, already able to taste the better quality than he was used to. "The virus provided me with exceptional abilities, at the price of a daily dose of the PG67AW serum that kept it stable. Too much, and the virus would weaken, which was what Christopher and his colleague, Ms. Alomar, were counting on. And it worked. But by that time, the virus was already affecting not only my nervous system, but also my brain functions. To put it as simply as possible: I was not myself."

Wesker took another sip of the whiskey before actually sighing and leaning back. Not used to feeling tired or thirsty or any emotion beyond the contempt and hate, this was all just so overwhelming all the time and talking to his son as well. "The serum overdose weakened me, but at the same time began to devour the virus from within. Before it could reach my brain, the virus decided it needed more power to destroy Christopher. The failed missile provided an opportune moment to infuse myself with all of it, effectively losing control. What happened after that... was a blur. The extreme heat of the volcano worked against Uroboros, the heat aiding the serum instead."

Taking his shades off at last, Jake watched gloved fingers rub the man´s closed lids as though he felt some kind of exhaustion. When he pulled away, instead of putting them back on he opened his eyes and looked at his son. They really did have the same eye colour. "When I came to, I was restrained and captured by Jill and her men, but I only remembered a few things. Most of what I have done whilst the virus had power over my mind... wasn´t there. Though after she filled me in on all the details, I wish the volcano had been the end of it."

"So you were delusional and insane because the virus controlled you like... some kind of zombie?"

"Precisely. Only that because of who I was, I retained my humanity. For the most part. As of now, only traces of Uroboros remain as a new vaccine has been used to destroy the mutated virus within me, the remaining traces the serum overdose didn´t manage to. Incidentally, the same antidote that saved the life of your friend Mr. Nivans." Jake tensed and his eyes narrowed as he stared at Wesker for a moment. So he knew about Piers, big deal. He wouldn´t be as stupid as to try anything to hurt him. He better not be.

"As things are right now, I am using my resources and contacts to provide information for the B.S.A.A., passing them on to Jill to eradicate any remaining traces. A slow process, but it works fine as the world considers me a dead man." That explained why she told Jake to come here. Jake closed his eyes for a moment, taking it all in, everything the man said. It... made sense. And he hated that it did. But he refused to trust this person.

"So why have I been seeing my reflection as your face? Red eyes and all." Jake looked at him and saw the frown on his father´s face. So that was where he got it from. The more he stared at him the less he could blame Chris for thinking they were alike. He really did look like Wesker.

"Perhaps it was a subconscious thing, I cannot say for sure. But rest assured, I have no desire to reshape or change the world in any other way than to destroy any remnants of the virus and any other that are still present. But before doing that, I wanted to meet the son I never knew I fathered. And though it might mean nothing to you, I am proud of the man you became, Jake."

His fingers clenched around the glass and threatened to shatter it. Praise from this man was meaningless and he had no reason to care for it, but he did. "Mother... always spoke highly of you. Never once blamed you, but never told me anything more about you either."

"She was an exceptional woman. There will never be anyone else like her. Never was."

"So the thing with Redfield..."

"Was something else. Christopher was interesting to me since he joined S.T.A.R.S. and I had great plans for him, ones that didn´t involve Umbrella or anyone else. But things rarely turn out the way we want them to. He was a remarkable marksman and determined, not afraid and stubborn to the point where he went against orders to finish a mission. Which often worked in his favour, but at the same time forced me to discipline him." There was another smile on his face as he recalled exactly how some of that discipline turned out to be.

"You should talk to him."

"Jake, I told you I cannot. After everything-"

"Especially after everything you did he deserves a fucking explanation and an apology. If Jill got me to talk to you without putting a whole chamber of bullets into your chest, then she can do the same for him and you fucking owe him more than an explanation and an apology." Jake´s voice rose as he leaned over the table. "Because if there is one person who convinced me that you are not a fucking piece of shit, it was him. And because for some inexplicable reason he´s probably in love with you."

Watching Wesker tense was satisfying, but he continued to glare at him. He didn´t need to do Chris any favours, didn´t feel like he owed him anything, but at the same time he wasn´t enjoying the miserable loneliness that surrounded the man. After all he had gone through, he deserved more than closure. And if this man before him was truly the man his mother and now his Captain fell in love with, then he owed it to both of them to talk to Redfield.

"I´m giving you one week. Until New Year. Talk to him, or I will do the talking." 

"What makes you think I will listen to an order from you?"

"I´m your son. You´ll either do as I told you to or I will make you. Or you can regret it and he will feel even more hurt and betrayed, if that´s what you want." There was a hint of pride in Wesker´s gaze and the man slowly nodded, finishing the glass of what appeared to be whiskey before taking out his phone, sending a brief message to a number he had stored and Jake´s own phone lit up.

"If you ever need anything, that´s how you reach me. Now, I do believe it´s getting late and your roommate is waiting for you."

"Are you telling me to leave?" Jake didn´t move.

"Jake, I enjoy talking to you, but seeing as asked Jill to get you to come here and you didn´t explain anything to him, I think he´s expecting you. What you choose to tell him... I will leave that to you. Just one more question." Wesker picked up the shades and moved to put them back on his face before hesitating. "Do you play the piano?"

"... she taught me. I´m pretty good, according to Piers. He... bought me one. For the whole Secret Santa thing. I stole Redfield´s idea and gifted him an engraved knife." Jake smiled. "Do you know mother´s favourite song?"

"I do believe it was Franz Liszt´s Liebestraum. A love dream." Wesker slid the shades back on and stood up. "She was playing it when we first met. Then again the last time I saw her as well."

"It was a special song. Still is."

"Jake."

Putting his jacket back on, Jake looked at the man, staring at him for a moment.

"Thank you for coming to meet with me. Whether a one-time thing or something else, I am proud to have a son like you."

"... thanks, I guess. I better go before Piers gets worried."

"You two are close?" 

"I guess you could say that." That was all he would tell the man as the other stood up. They were the same height, Jake noticed and watched the man extend his gloved hand. And though he hesitated for second, Jake reached out and took it. Had he not spoken to Chris about his father, none of this would have happened. He would have shot the man the moment he would see him.

"I´ll see you around then."

"Of course, Jake." He could not think of the man as anything other than Wesker. Leaving the bar he didn´t look back and just hurried back home, his mind reeling. His father was alive and human. Or as human as he could be after all he had gone through. Jake had some trouble understanding a few things, but he trusted Jill on this, even though he planned to talk to her later.

The apartment was nice and warm as Jake returned and he could still hear the TV as he walked in. Hanging up his jacket he walked to the couch and when Piers didn´t even look at him he knew that the sniper was still upset over the secrecy. Were they really that close? They lived together and worked together and now kisses several times. Jake liked him. Enough to want to be around him more.

"Sorry. I didn´t know... until I went what this was about." Sitting beside him, Jake stared off, then rested his head on Piers´ shoulder. "Puppy... my dad´s... Wesker´s still alive. And back to the man my mother and Chris knew." He felt him tense. "I just want to go to bed and sleep, but I feel like I owe you an explanation. So just... let me talk, alright?"

"Okay." Jake smiled, seeking out the other´s hand and grasped it firmly with his own. He always liked how warm Piers felt.

"That paper from Jill..."


	21. The dead won´t stay dead

Piers really did not speak as Jake told him about his meeting with Albert Wesker. But unlike the man, he was far more sceptical about all of this. A powerful virus that gave the man godlike power to be so easily destroyed or retrained? And now he was human as before, only somewhat better? He was calling bullshit. And bit his tongue to refrain from saying so as Jake recounted how he was told of when the man met his mother. Emotion. Now there was something he didn´t expect from someone like Wesker. He was the scourge of the earth and with his death the world could recover... only not. Neo-Umbrella got in the way.

"I told him that he owed Chris at least that much, but I don´t know if he went to see him. Doesn´t really matter right now. I just... can´t believe he´s alive." Closing his eyes, Jake felt Piers squeeze his hand gently and smiled. This was exactly what he needed. "Thanks for letting me talk."

"You´re welcome. Can I... ask you something?"

"I would be surprised if you didn´t." After what he told Piers, he had every right to ask about anything.

"Do you believe him?" And there it was. Jake sighed and slowly straightened up, meeting Piers´ inquisitive gaze with his own and just stared at him for a moment. Sometimes he simply forgot how mature the man could be or the fact that Piers was actually older.

"I don´t know. On one hand it all made sense and Jill was the one who had me go there in the first place. So she knew and she was one of the S.T.A.R.S. team members. But she has already been controlled by my father once so... I don´t know what to believe. But I know what I want to believe." Just saying it made him feel confused and Jake frowned before yawning. He felt tired after today and just ready to sleep.

"Just... promise me to be careful, alright?"

"Are you worried about me, Puppy?"

"I am. You were always doing things alone and used to that, but now there´s people you can rely on. Me and Sherry and Chris. And Jill as well, even if she might be involved in this. But you´re not alone any longer." Warm lips pressed to his cheek and once he looked to Piers he could see the tint in his cheek. He was blushing. And it was an adorable sight to behold.

"I think... I will need more reminding like this in the future, too. I think I´m ready to bed. You should get some rest too, Piers." They both stood up at the same time and Jake watched the other man walk in front of him, blue eyes running down his body. Though he constantly wore that scarf, Piers´ apparently felt warm most of the time. Shorts in winter and sleeveless shirts. It was a good look on him. Smiling, Jake shook his head and went to his room, intending on getting at least some rest.

Lying in bed he just stared at the ceiling though, unable to even close his eyes since all he could see was his father´s face. He still had no explanation for the reflection he saw in the mirror. Wesker´s eyes no longer glowed red from what he saw, so what was happening?

"Jake? You still awake?" The bathroom door slowly opened as Piers peered inside his room, hair messed up a little. Seeing Jake´s open eyes he was almost relieved and stepped into the dark room, closing the bathroom door as he walked to the bed. "Scooch over."

"Huh?"

"Just do it." So damn bossy. Though it was rather endearing at times and this being one of them, Jake still felt confused as he shifted on the bed, leaving just enough space for Piers to lie down beside him.

What a strange feeling. Being this close to someone in a bed was not new, but being close for this reason, whatever it was, felt brand new and left the former mercenary confused. If Piers wanted to have sex, this was not the best time for that. Staring at the man he caught his eye and after a moment felt a flick against his forehead.

"Don´t even think about it. Not yet. I just didn´t want you to be alone tonight. So just..." Piers frowned for a moment before shifting closer. The bed was just about big enough to accommodate them, but Piers moved even closer, hands pulling the other man close before his arms wrapped around him. "Don´t think you´re alone."

"Puppy-"

"Shut up." And Jake did, letting the other coddle him for a while before his eyes closed and he actually relaxed. Piers smelled good, but he already knew that. Pressing his face into his collarbone he let his arms lazily drape around the man and a smile curved on his lips. This felt kinda nice. He could feel Piers´ fingers running up and down his bare back, tips pressing to his spine and soon the motion lulled him to sleep.

When the younger man relaxed, Piers found himself smiling and watched him rest. Jake needed to learn to trust others. But that could be done one step at a time, no rush at all. Nuzzling his short hair, Piers closed his eyes as well and just let himself relax. His life never seemed better than right this moment. Now if he could somehow ask Jake on a date and he would be happy.

\---

The office was silent this late, but Chris came to appreciate it. Making more coffee he left the mug on his desk as he grabbed some change from his desk, heading down to the snack machine. Even Jill was gone, having something to take care of. She has been acting rather odd lately, but Chris was fine with that. She was finally back. Spent the past couple of years since being recovered working on a more secret assignment. Often dealing with Ada Wong and Leon Kennedy, too. Two names Chris could do without hearing about for a while.

The vending machine finally yielded the sweet chocolate bar and he slowly made his way back to the office. Honestly, he could just head home and finish the work tomorrow, but most of the time during the day was spent working out with the others and overseeing their training, while at night he worked on the paperwork. Sleep... was avoided.

The strange dreams would not stop following him. Feeling watched and observed and sometimes almost as if someone tried to touch him, but when he woke up no one was there. But the window to his room was open. He even made sure to close it. And the knife... the fingerprints appeared again. At first he thought it was just his own, but after finding out he was wrong, Chris Redfield was convinced that his apartment was haunted. He could deal with zombies and monsters, but ghosts? No fucking way. At least his office had a comfortable couch.

Taking another bite of the sweet treat he entered his office and closed the door. The lights were dimmed and he had the desk lamp on, his computer screen providing more glow. It was silent, not even music playing and he moved to sit back behind his desk before he froze. The chair was turned out, as he had left it after staring out onto the training yard. But the coffee mug was moved, a coaster played under it to avoid straining the dark wood (which still had the imprint from the knife Jake stabbed into it).

"Your desk was always covered in circles from your mugs. You should lead by example, Christopher." He nearly choked. This was not happening.

"You´re dead." 

"I assure you I am not, though I don´t doubt you wish it were otherwise. In a way, I have you to thank for my current condition. That condition being... I guess you could say I am healed. Recovered from the virus. Thanks to Jill and Ms. Wong. Although I would not recommend being forced to spend time alone with both of them at once. It´s not beneficial for one´s health."

"Wesker, you´re dead. I killed you. You were in a volcano when I shot you with a rocket and you died!" Chris still didn´t move from the spot as Wesker slowly stood from his chair and walked around the desk. He looked just as he remembered, only... different. Instead of the long coat, he now wore a black jacket that went halfway down to his thighs. The gloves stayed, but his attitude was more normal. A simple black shirt and black pants, nothing special. But on Wesker, everything was. The shades, of course, were there. His hair never seemed to change either.

"Yes, you did do that, but it was not enough to kill me. However, it killed something else. I believe Jill made a detailed report to give to you soon, but someone else told me that I owe you more than just an explanation and an apology. With the time limit I was given and my current work, I figured I could do it tonight." Wesker remained standing there, watching Chris move away from him, walking around the desk and grab his gun. And he still didn´t budge.

"I don´t want your excuses!"

"Not excuses, Christopher. Explanations and an apology. There is no excuse that would be able to make up for what I have done." Wesker stared at the barrel of the gun, then looked at Chris again. "You can shoot if you want to. The remains of the virus would still be able to heal me, even if it would take longer. You deserve it. So please, do go ahead."

"Stop fucking around!" His fingers twitched and he nearly pulled the trigger. Staring at the walking nightmare that was Wesker was too much for him. Not looking away he suddenly realized something, finally connecting the final dots and his arm slowly lowered. "It was you..." Whispering, Chris looked from Wesker to the knife he still had sitting on his desk. "At my apartment, that was you!"

"Yes."

"Why? Why do you keep haunting me? Why can´t you just leave me alone and find someone else to torment!? Why does it have to be me!?"

"Because I wanted to see you. Though it was not my choice to come here. Jake told me, because he said I owed you this much at least. Of course, the boy was right."

"... you met Jake?"

"Jill arranged for it." His head was reeling. Jill, who he trusted with his life, was working with Wesker after all he had done to her? And Ada Wong as well? And Wesker even met with Jake and neither of them left in a body bag or with any injuries? This was madness. He was going insane for sure. Sinking down into his chair he buried his face in his hands, expecting Wesker to be gone when he would look up again, but he was still there.

"Why?"

"You should know the answer to that by now." Wesker´s voice sounded softer than he recalled. But this all just felt so unread. He watched the man´s demise and back then his heart finally broke. But he dealt with it his own way, devoting himself to the B.S.A.A. and he was fine doing that until he would die. And now Wesker was back and what was he supposed to do? 

"Fine then. Explain. Explain fucking everything and then give me a reason not to put a bullet in you. I´m surprised Jake didn´t."

"He did make the same threat. But apparently, it was you who calmed him down enough for us to be able to talk. Which I appreciate, Christopher. Now, allow me to start from the beginning..." For the second time that night, Wesker told the same story and though he appreciated that Chris listened, the man´s face was unreadable. He used to be so expressive when he was younger and working under him, such a bright and determined young man who went through so much. He chose Chris personally for his team and never regretted that decision. And watching him change after their every meeting and in-between was impressive.

"And when Jake went home, I came here to see you. Either Ada or Jill will be soon delivering a properly documented report on what happened since Africa. As for my current work, there are still more places that have their hands on the virus and I will be delivering more information to Jill when I have confirmation. My power may not reach as far as it used to, but still far enough."

"So all the information we had... Edonia and China... Germany and everywhere else-"

"Yes, I asked Jill to pass that information along to you. Derek Simmons could have been a great man were he not so blinded by love. But I guess, love is the downfall of all of us." His own included. "It is rather late. You should head home and get some rest, Christopher. And don´t worry. Tonight was my last visit. I intend to stay away and continue atoning in my own way."

Wesker stood up, feeling older than he was. Though the virus did keep him vital and rather young. He had left Chris a lot to think about and already felt bad, but still lingered for a moment longer. After this he would be unable to see him, for the man´s own sake, Wesker would stay away.

"Why were you coming to my place? I thought the place was being haunted by a ghost! Though I guess I wasn´t that far off. But you... do you know how creepy it is to know you watched me sleep? That you were there and didn´t say a word? How long have you been even doing that?"

"A few months. Ever since I decided to take up residence in America once more. At first I thought I could talk to you, but... I was a coward. Were it not for Jake, I would not be here right now."

"He looks just like you. Almost shot me when I told him that I was the one to kill you." Touching his cheek, Chris almost smiled. Staring at Jake back then was like staring at Wesker. He wasn´t afraid.

Wesker smiled briefly and stood up. They were done here. His explanation and apologies were all given and there was nothing more. "My contact will be through Jill only from now on, so you need not worry about me appearing again. I do believe there are still more than enough people out there willing to kill me."

"Wait!" Chris stood up, bumping his hip on the edge of his desk as he moved with haste, grabbing Wesker´s sleeve. "You... take off those shades."

"I would rather not."

"It wasn´t a request, Wesker."

"I do not recall working under you, Christopher. In fact, as I recall, you were the one working under me. In more ways than one." No, not even he was immune to the urge of teasing, especially with the way Chris´ eyes widened.

"I guess I can honour this one request, seeing as this is our last meeting." The hand was gone from his sleeve as he reached out, taking the shades off as requested and looked at the man.


	22. Making up for lost time.

He didn´t know what was going on in Chris´ head. The way the man stared at him now it could be anything. His eyes were still expressive, but not nearly as much as his face used to be years ago. The young man he hired to be his Pointman having trouble concealing his emotions.

"Look up." Wesker blinked, then slowly raised his head to see what Chris was already aware of. 

"Oh." Mistletoe. He didn´t need to ask who places it there, the red ribbon bearing Jill´s signature easily and after a moment he looked back at Chris. "... if that is-"

He didn´t get to finish the thought, much less the sentence as warm lips pressed firmly to his own, the bulk of Chris´ body pushing him against the wall. It was mere seconds before blue eyes closed in response. How cruel of the man to do this when Wesker was about to part ways for good, but he could not resist the temptation to kiss him back. It has been too many years since the last kiss they shares, last show of affection without his mind being clouded and gradually more and more infected.

Arms wound themselves around the shorter man´s waist as Wesker pressed him close and then took charge. The kiss itself was not enough. When they parted for air, he leaned back in a moment later, claiming the man´s lips and one hand shamelessly slid down to squeeze at his rear. Chris did always have the finest ass and he knew it only too well.

"Don´t go." The whisper was faint, nearly lost in the kiss, but Wesker heard it. Pulling away from the kiss he let his gaze linger on Chris and the seeing the tears in his eyes broke his heart all over again. Oh, how badly he had hurt this man and still he was saying something like this? "Don´t you fucking dare to walk out the door and leave me... _Captain_."

All the resolve Wesker carried with himself not long ago was gone within seconds of his old title spoken like that. The other man´s eyes still glimmered with unshed tears and maybe if he would pull away and leave now, Chris could recover and eventually forget about him; even replace him. But some things never changed. One of which being unable to tell the other no.

"I won´t." Whispering he leaned in again, kissing him, albeit gentler this time. Gloved hands rose to brush away the tears that clung to his lashes. "I won´t leave you again, Christopher." His lips brushed the other man´s with every word before connecting once more. And Chris believed him. Hands gripping the man´s shirt tightly enough to rip it if he wanted to, pressing closer still as years of longing finally surfaced.

Neither was sure how they ended up moving, but when Chris felt his backside hit the desk, it took Wesker all of two seconds to lift him up on it, neither caring about the stack of papers that fell to the floor. They had more important things in mind. And though a part of Wesker´s mind told him to take things slowly or even wait, that very part was quickly silenced when he felt Chris press into him, fingers clumsily working on the buttons of his shirt.

Wesker was reluctant to remove his hands from Chris for even a second, but ended up doing so in favour of tossing his jacket over the desk and onto his chair, then deftly got rid of Chris´ shirt. So many scars he didn´t know about were revealed to him, old marks of things he had survived and dealt with. Wesker was impressed and proud at the same time.

But there would be enough time to admire him later, in proper lighting no less. Right now there was animalistic lust filling the air around them and neither man could or even wanted to resist. A button from his shirt was lost somewhere and he could not care less right now, letting Chris touch him. The lava did not leave him without some marks, scars littering his body, pale like his skin and unattractive, but when Chris touched them, Wesker didn´t mind at all.

"How badly did it hurt?"

"I had worse." Chris smiled against his lips before capturing them again, hands moving over Wesker´s body, mapping out the skin. So familiar and yet strange, he couldn´t pull away even if he wanted to. Meanwhile Wesker´s hands were on his waist again, working the belt of his pants, the buckle making him grunt as it refused to give, until it finally came undone. "Don´t wear it again," he grunted, annoyed that such a little thing got in the way for even a mere moment.

He heard Chris sigh as he unzipped his pants and nipped his bottom lip for a moment before glancing down. Did he still-? Of course. Still that affinity for cute underwear, the current pair being grey with a cartoon panda all over. "Chris... you´re really something else." Special in ways no one else ever was. Challenging him, befriending him, opening his heart to him and crying for him. Wesker had done nothing to deserve this man, but he would be damned before he would leave him ever again.

The pants were dealt with quickly, ending up on the floor and the boxers quickly followed. And then he needed to step back for a moment, drinking in the sight of Chris aroused and naked on his desk, chest rising and falling as he breathed and his lips bruised from the force of their kisses. His eyes were staring right back, the same determined look in them even though the man´s cheeks were tinted pink. He always did blush a lot when Wesker stared like this, no matter how many times they had sex.

"Stop staring and fuc-" The words were once more cut off as his lips were claimed with another kiss and Wesker moved to stand between his legs, pressing their bodies close once more as the younger man´s hands worked on his pants quickly. Almost too quickly. As though he had practice. Jealously sparked through Wesker for a moment, but he knew there had been no one else. Oh, he would know, considering how closely he kept watching him all this time.

"I don´t really have anything-"

"Second drawer." Wesker´s surprised look was only surpassed by the familiar smirk that Chris missed, but he was way too busy to be embarrassed about this, deftly undoing the man´s pants and firmly gripped the firm length. The strangled noise from the man´s throat was sweet music to his ears.

Wesker barely managed to retrieve the jar of petroleum jelly, a well-used one as well, when the hand made him grunt and he almost glared at Chris. But the touch was so familiar, the hand so warm, he couldn´t help arching into it. The man leaned down to steal Chris´ lips once more, claiming them in another deep kiss as he gently pushed him to lie back on the desk, lifting his legs up onto the edge. More scars on his legs, all signs of battles he fought, missions he completed. He really was a wonderful Captain.

He worked slowly, circling his entrance with the tip of a slicked finger, taking his time before pushing it in and the soft walls yielded to him with ease, allowing him to slide in a second digit after only a moment´s time. Now this was surprising. Pulling away from the kiss he watched his fingers move in and out of the man´s body, stretching him gently. But this should not be that easy. Was there... no, there was no one else. He would know. Then this meant... "Something you want to tell me, Christopher?"

"Shut up... it´s your fault." Chris´ cheeks reflected the heat he felt inside and his body glistened now, the dim light giving him an almost ethereal glow as Wesker worked on loosening him up. Another gentle thrust and he smirked, pressing his fingers to the spot that he knew always made Chris most vocal. And now it was no different. A good thing there was no one else around, because these cries were for his ears only.

"Do it already!" Catching his breath, Chris didn´t care about any more of this. He wanted the real thing, wanted Wesker inside him.

"Do what? I´m afraid you´ll have to be a bit more specific." No, he would never be able to resist teasing him. Fingers thrusting in once more, the man´s back arched as the tip of his member glistened, a droplet of clear liquid spilling down.

"Fuck me!" He could have teased him more, taunted him for a while longer, but at this point, Wesker doubted he would be able to do that without suffering himself. And there would always be another time. Withdrawing his fingers he took more of the jelly, rubbing it over himself, the cold sensation doing nothing to ease the heat he felt. When the tip pressed to the quivering entrance he only heard a hissed yes before pushing inside, slowly, drawing out the moment as long as he could without driving them both insane. There has been enough of insanity in their lives by this point.

"F-fuck... did it get bigger?" Chris could not recall it being like this. Or maybe his body was no longer as used to this. Fingers on lonely nights were all he had available, but nothing could compare to this. Wesker pushing inside him, filling him, the stinging sensation crossing the barrier between pain and pleasure where he could not tell one from the other. He couldn´t stop shaking as he felt the man press all the way inside and once more gripped his shirt, tugging him into a heated kiss as strong hands grabbed at his waist.

He could have come right there on the spot, but that would be too soon and he really wanted this to last. Heart going crazy he had no doubt that Wesker could actually feel it against his chest, maybe even in the kiss. And when he finally began to move, Chris´ back arched in pleasure, the length rubbing him in all the right ways and then some, pressing against the spot. Wesker knew his body so well, knew exactly where to touch him, where to bite and where to caress. 

And Wesker knew exactly how to fuck him. Thrusting inside him in a familiar rhythm, the hands on his hips nearly bruising as his eager member rubbed against the older man´s abdomen. At some point Wesker lost the gloves and Chris loved that he could feel the heat of his skin. And for a few blissful moments, it was like the years of pain didn´t exist at all. Their bodies were one and Chris knew that he would never be able to let go of him again.

The desk shook with every thrust and more papers followed the pile that was already on the floor, but neither man cared about such things. Their kiss never ended, lips locked as Wesker thrust into him over and over again and only sheer force of will and the desire to prolong this moment for as long as possible enabled Chris to last this long. But he was at his limit. Whimpering and gasping he pulled away from the kiss, staring into the intense blue eyes he loved for so long. 

There was no warning. One moment his arms were wrapped around Wesker´s shoulders, the next his nails dug into his back as he came, body tense and Wesker´s shirt ruined. Not that Chris cared, too dazed to even remember where he was as he weakly held onto the man before the grip on his hips tightened enough to bruise for a while and he felt heat fill him. The intensity made his head spin and the whine was his way of showing what he wanted, Wesker understanding completely as he kissed him again.

Both men were out of breath, the kiss a mess as Wesker slowly pulled out. His greatest strength and his greatest weakness. Chris Redfield never looked more beautiful. No one else ever got to see him like this, no one else got to touch him, taste his lips or hear his cries and that made Wesker´s ego swell more than any delusions ever could. Lips brushing over the younger man´s he smiled and grabbed the tissues from the desk, using most of them up to clean Chris up, the rest going to his own use. The shirt could be tossed later...

"Don´t leave..." Chris´ voice was soft as he slowly sat up, soft brown eyes locked onto blue ones. The tone of his voice was enough to make Wesker shudder and he leaned in to kiss him once more, lips brushing gently over the other man´s.

"I´m not leaving you, Christopher, I promise. But we should get you someplace more comfortable and soon, as you look ready to fall asleep." Smiling he helped the man off the desk, steadying him before Chris was able to move and retrieve his underwear. "I´m pleased to see that some things never changed," he teased, eyes fixed on the man´s ass as the underwear went over it, soon followed by the discarded pants. 

There were still many things to consider, to talk about and explain, but right now neither man was willing to do that. The bliss still lingered and Chris put his shirt back on after a moment, walking over to Wesker to pull him into anther kiss. "My place is not far, but you already know that."

"Mine is closer." That surprised Chris, but not nearly as much as it should have and he nodded, focusing just long enough to turn the computer off and put the messed up papers back on his desk. Turning to Wesker he finally noticed the stains on the man´s shirt he unsuccessfully tried to wipe away and grinned, finding it oddly satisfying. 

"Let´s go then." There was no need to sleep at the office tonight. Grabbing his gun, because he could not just leave it behind, Chris put his coat on and grabbed the knife as well, holding it close before smiling. "I can finally give this back to you. And don´t you fucking dare say no. I had it made for you and only for you, Wesker."

The blond closed his mouth when his protests were shot down before even given voice. Accepting the knife he stared at the blade for a moment. "Christmas years ago, this was your present to me. I still remember the looks we received after leaving the office. You didn´t manage to properly button your shirt."

"And you didn´t say anything until Jill pointed it out." Chris complained back, locking up his office as he walked with Wesker down to the lobby and outside. "I still have the watch you know. It... still works perfectly."

"Of course. I have excellent taste in everything. Be it watches or my Pointman." Perfectly smug, Wesker put his shades back on out of habit. He could see Chris smile from the corner of his eye and followed him to his car before giving directions to his place. The drive there took much less time than the one to Chris´ own place would have and soon enough the two men stepped out, Wesker leading the way to the elevator and unlocking the door. Barely inside, he didn´t even get to turn the lights on before Chris pinned him to the wall again, lips ravishing his own.

"Bedroom?"

"Second door on the right." Chris pulled away with a smile, hanging up his coat before kicking his boots off, stripping down already. As expected, Wesker´s bedroom was fit for a king, the huge bed the dominant piece, luxurious and soft. There were a few photographs and Chris recognized them as the same S.T.A.R.S. photo he had and another one of him and Wesker at the New Year's Party. Laying on the bed he closed his eyes before leaning up on his elbows.

Wesker stood in the doorway, the shades once more off as he just watched the younger man make himself comfortable. He didn´t doubt that this was real, considering his dreams were never this pleasant, this intense. "What are you looking at? Get over here and kiss me." 

And for once, Wesker obeyed without a word.


	23. Heated fights and hot showers

Waking up enveloped in someone´s embrace was a most confusing sensation. Jake wasn´t sure what to think about it, the warmth of it, the closeness. It was all so new, but not entirely unwelcome. Actually not at all as he found himself burrowing closer beneath the warm covers. Piers was much warmer anyway. The soft breathing was clue enough to see that the other was still asleep and though he considered sleeping some more himself, instead he reflected on all that happened yesterday, especially his meeting with Wesker.

He believed him. After all he heard at first and what he was told by the people who actually knew the man, Jake was convinced that he was telling the truth, but knew that toning for what happened was not going to be easy, if not downright impossible. But at least he was trying. Just like Jake was making his own path now. Maybe their next meeting would go better. For now though, he stopped thinking about his father and instead focused on Piers.

He looked much younger asleep like this. Lips slightly parted and hair a mess. Jake really did like him. Otherwise he would have never accepted the kiss or initiated any himself. Anything more though might be complicated. It was like nothing he ever experienced. Piers was respected and liked by everyone, even if he could be hot-headed at times. He also had a thing for sweet things and watching weapon documentaries. He was incredibly peculiar about his brand of hair wax and pouted without realizing it. Jake liked him a whole fucking lot.

Even now he was just staring, watching him sleep for long minutes before reaching out to press two fingertips to the beauty marks on his face. They were one of his favourite things about Piers. Though the fact that he actually had any at all about the other man bothered him slightly. Used to being alone and depending on no one else, opening up to someone was scary. But here they were, tangled in bed and it felt good.

"Awake already?" The voice made him focus from the beauty marks onto Piers´ eyes and he smiled at the man, not pulling away just yet. This was a lovely way to wake up.

"Kinda. Don´t feel like moving. Though I doubt I can." Jake chuckled, arm finally moving from the man´s face to his waist, pressing him closer. Neither was wearing anything aside from underwear, which made the contact a tad more intense, but at the same time he enjoyed it. 

"How did you sleep?"

"Better than I did in a while. Maybe I should sleep with you every night from now on." Watching the sniper´s cheek tint pink with a blush made Jake smile before he leaned in to press a warm kiss to one and sit up. "We may need a bigger bed for that though."

"Jake?"

"Hm?"

"Wanna go on a date with me?" The question came out of nowhere and for a second, Jake wasn´t sure what to answer. He did want to, but had no idea what a date was about. Seeing his hesitation, Piers sat up as well, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away. "I mean it was just an idea. We don´t have to-"

"Puppy, you just woke up so don´t go jumping anywhere, especially not conclusions, alright? Yea, I want to go on a date, but you know that I have no experience with that, right?" His other experience was not applicable to something like a relationship. Provided this was one. Was it even? Friends or colleagues usually did not kiss each other or go on dates.

"Then we go out! How about tonight? Just let me plan everything and don´t worry about it, alright?" Already excited, Piers stood up, the giddy smile on his face enough to have Jake nod. It was getting harder and harder to tell him no.

"Alright, but go easy on me, alright?" Rising from the bed as well he stretched before going to the kitchen. First things first. Coffee and breakfast, then they had to head to work. 

"Will you make pancakes?"

"Again?"

"You make better one than I do." There was that pout again. Piers had to be aware of using it for sure! Jake had no chance.

"Fine. But you´re doing the dishes."

\---

"Morning boys!" Jill walked out of the security room with a smug grin on her face and Jake knew something was up. She only had that when she did something no one else knew about. And the security room was not on her way to her office either. Or anywhere the usually frequented.

"Yo. What were you doing in there?" Nodding to the heavy door, Jake crossed his arm over his chest.

"Just taking care of something." There was no need for Jake to know she took care of erasing a certain security tape that recoded Chris and a certain blond man leaving together last night. "So, did you go meet him?"

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Valentine."

"Come by my office. We can do lunch. Oh, and bring Piers and Chris if you want, since you probably already told your boyfriend."

"He´s not my-"

"Isn´t he? So you usually kiss him for no reason?"

Jake stared at her for a moment. Boyfriend sounded so juvenile. So annoying and strange and so appropriate. "... I´m kicking your ass later." 

"You wish." She was still laughing before leaving for her office and Jake only grunted in response, Piers catching up with him quickly after talking to Ed in the lobby. 

"Was that Jill?"

"She called you my boyfriend." So easy to make Piers blush, it was worth calling him that. Jake´s smile into a smirk as they walked towards the training room. No paperwork for the day and he really enjoyed that. And this morning there was no sticker over his name either. Changing clothes took a while since when Piers stripped down he couldn´t resist pressing him into a locker again, claiming his lips with his own and only pulled away when he heard footsteps.

"Morning." Chris looked tired, but not nearly as exhausted as the last few weeks. In fact, he seemed to be rather happy. Going to his locker the man stripped down just as the other two finished getting dressed, but the moment they walked by Jake stopped. There were bruises on Chris´ body, strange red marks on his neck, the back of a thigh. Bruises like that rarely came from grappling with others.

"Interesting night?" Trying to get his shirt from the locker, Chris jumped, hitting his head on the shelf as he whipped around, revealing more marks on his body. Jake´s eyes scanned him over and he felt the same intense blue gaze as he had last night. "I... don´t want to know. Good for you, but sheesh..."

"What´s going on?" Piers was confused, not understanding what the two were on about, but he was confused about the marks as well. "Jake? Chris? What are you two-"

"Come on, Puppy, you´re my partner until Jill shows up and I can kick her ass." Dragging him away from the Captain, Jake just shook his head. "I will tell you later..." he whispered and tugged him over to the training room.

Jill did not take long to appear, more than ready to face the young man´s wrath for setting him up like that. But training came first. Basics really, a simple workout for Jake as Redfield stared at his stopwatch while the others did push-ups. Half an hour of that and he was more than ready for a little sparring session.

She was ready, but not ready enough to face an angry Jake. Yes, he was pissed off for the setup, for no warning at all and for the fact alone that she hid this from him for so long. So he didn´t hold back. Fighting dirty when needed, Jake was grinning as she struggled to keep up. Albeit older and a more seasoned fighter, Jake was a natural at this. By the time they were actually going seriously at it a crowd gathered to watch.

"What´s going on?"

"No idea. But I think he´s winning."

"No way! Against her?"

"Watch! She´s nearly out of breath! Holy fuck did you see that!?" Jake twisted her arm around, forcing her to the ground and a bit more pressure would have her joint dislocated. But he didn´t let go, letting her suffer for a moment longer before deciding she had enough. 

"Had enough?" Standing up he stared at her, then leaned over and held out his arm. She accepted the gesture, gripping it firmly before smirking and flipping around, legs locking around his shoulders and knocked him to the ground.

"Not yet!" Jake cursed, the press of her legs actually firm enough to cut off his air, but there was no way he was letting her win. The grip on his arm tightened and he flexed, then pulled her towards him, the force catching Jill off-guard for a second and that was all the opening he needed to push her away, pinning her to the ground with his forearm at her neck, body weighting her down, immobilizing her legs as he gripped her arm above his head. A rather intimate position, as a few others noticed.

"Alright, alright! You win!" 

"You heard it all, Jake won!" Chris clapped as Jake climbed off of her and pulled her up, wiping the sweat from his brow. This was the workout he needed, the adrenaline and anger having worn off. He did give her a few new bruises and had a few himself, his side in particular would be all black later, but he felt good.

"I´m gonna hit the showers. Had enough for today. Thanks for the little workout, Jill."

"Brat... what do you call a little workout?" He only laughed. In a much better mood he went back to the locker room and grabbed his things, unaware that Piers was already following. The others stayed behind, the display urging them to try harder.

"That was more than just training, right?" Piers grabbed his towel and shower gel as he followed Jake to the showers, standing right beside him in the stall.

"Payback for setting me up with Wesker. Also, we´re having lunch in her office and so are you and Chris." Closing his eyes as he let the water rain down on him for a while, Jake let out a slow breath and looked at Piers. He had seen him naked a few times, but right now it was almost different. The way Piers washed up, running his hands over his body-

"Jake?" Fuck. Caught staring, the former mercenary smiled as he looked away.

"Sorry."

"What? No, I don´t mind. I was actually..." Piers frowned for a moment, trying to think of the right words, but none came. Then again, maybe actions did speak louder than words in this case. Taking the few steps over to Jake he pushed the man against the tiled wall and silenced him before he could protest. 

There was something incredibly hot about kissing while wet like this. Their lips were slick, sliding against each other before Piers deepened the kiss, hands boldly running over Jake´s body. Watching him fight Jill like that was already alluring, but it was the comments he heard from the others about the two that made him actually angry. Only a while ago Jake called him his boyfriend, but there was no way they could tell them that.

So instead he kissed him now, hands moving over the strong chest, mapping out every inch and soon he felt Jake´s hands on his hips, pressing against the small of his back. Kissing was one thing, intense and hot, but taking things a step further in the locker room showers? There was no time to think and neither man wanted to. The heat was rising, but not because of the water and Piers soon felt it press against him.

Pulling back from the kiss he stared at Jake and the younger man looked almost... scared? Worried? Piers did not forget what he had been told about his past, but this was nothing like that. Maybe it was time to show him. 

"Piers, what are you-fuck!!" He watched the man pull away and slide to his knees, and maybe he should have seen it coming, but the confusion would not let go until the mouth was around his length and the heat made his head fall back against the hard tiles. He wasn´t sure whether he was seeing stars because of the hard hit he just took or because Piers´ mouth felt like a fucking forge around him, his cheeks hollowed as he sucked, tongue teasing along the length while those eyes stared up at him.

Anyone could come and see them like this, Piers on his knees and sucking him off, his own hand curled around his own member and stroking, but the training room door remained closed. Jake was breathing hard, unable to form coherent words and could only watch as Piers made a show of licking up the whole length, lingering on the head before sucking again. Either he was a natural or had some practice, but that wasn´t something he lingered upon, one hand bracing against the wall as the other rested on the man´s head, gently brushing through his wet hair. He didn´t tug or pull, just wanted to touch him.

Piers could not stop staring at Jake now, even when he had to blink away water rapidly in order to see him. His expression was one of shock and pleasure, a delightful mix that he would surely memorize, but his attention was soon focused elsewhere. Jake was impressive an Piers had a bit of trouble taking him in more than halfway before pulling back. Better not attempt any heroics before he was used to this kind of thing. Using his free hand on what he could not fit into his mouth he sucked and licked, letting out small sounds as he worked his own length with his hand.

"Piers-" Taking the hint, he pulled back just enough, the tip still in his mouth as Jake tensed, the hand in his hair tugging gently. And he swallowed, his throat working overtime and his eyes closed. His own form shook moments after, but any evidence was quickly washed down the drain while he pulled back and slowly stood up. His legs were shaking, but so was Jake´s whole body as he pulled Piers into his arms. "You... that was something..."

"Sorry, I just watched you with Jill and everyone was talking. I guess it kinda got to me. We are dating, right? So this kind of thing is-" Jake discovered that a highly effective way to get Piers to shut up was to kiss him. And he did, noticing the lingering taste in his mouth, but that didn´t stop him. Only when he was sure that he got his point across he pulled away. 

"Don´t apologize for something like this again, Puppy. Just... some warning would be nice next time." Maybe he wouldn´t give him one either. Pulling away when the door to the training room opened and he sighed, gently caressing Piers´ cheek for a second and stepped away as the voices got closer. Finishing his shower quickly he grabbed the towel and dried off before walking back to his locker on somewhat unsteady legs. If he wasn´t sure about their relationship before, then he sure as hell was now.

"We should probably head straight to Jill´s office after this." Looking to Piers as they were getting dressed, Jake was trying not to think of the way those mismatched eyes stared at him a moment ago. 

"Sounds good. I wonder what she wants to talk about though that Chris and I are supposed to be there as well."

"We´ll see." Watching Piers pull his shirt on he glanced around, then leaned in and kissed the back of his neck, nipping the skin lightly to leave a small red mark. Satisfied he pulled away and closed his locker, more than satisfied that Piers had no idea. "Ready to go?"

"Sure. This should be interesting."


	24. Pizza and revelations

Jill was already waiting for them in her office, a smile on her face and pizza boxes on her desk. That alone was enough to make Piers happy and Jake found it amusing, considering the talk they were about to have now. "Come sit down. The others will be here soon enough."

"Others?" Jake took a seat and stared at her. She had a nice bruise on her neck and he felt almost bad. Almost. 

"Chris and your father. And I think you remember Ada Wong." 

"Which one? There was Ada Wrong and Ada Right, as Sherry called them." Jill laughed and shook her head, then looked up as the door opened and a woman with short black hair stepped in.

"How offensive. After all I did for you, you could at least remember which one is the real Ada Wong, Wesker Junior." His eyes narrowed as she walked around the desk and moved to stand beside Jill, snatching a slice of pizza from the box without a care.

"Provided you remember my name as well." 

"We shall see."

The door soon opened again and another person stepped in, Chris looking freshly showered and more alive than he had in a long time. "Pizza! Jill, I love you." 

"So I have been replaced by grease food now? How degrading." Wesker´s voice came out of nowhere and no one noticed him come in. Jake tensed for a moment while Piers was on full alert, reaching for the knife he now carried at his waist before Ada took out her gun, pointing it at the young sniper. At the same time she found herself facing the barrel of Jake´s Elephant Killer with the same little smile she always seemed to have.

"Alright, how about you all calm the fuck down. No violence in my office. I just had the carpet cleaned a month ago." Jill sighed, rubbing her temples while Wesker stood there, watching Chris stuff his face with an amused expression, judging by the smile. His eyes once more concealed. Jake hesitated, but then put the gun away, reaching out to gently pull Piers´ hand away from the knife and Ada lowered her gun.

"Now, all of you sit the fuck down. Somewhere. Should have booked a larger room for this or something." 

They did, Chris venturing out to drag two more chairs in and sat in one, Wesker taking to standing off to the side instead. Ada did not bother, just sitting on Jill´s desk, legs crossed as she looked from father to son and back.

"So, the reunion happened already. Now for the details. Albert Wesker is officially back to the self you two have known during your S.T.A.R.S. careers. More powerful, but without the lingering madness that infected him. The vaccine from his son´s blood was highly effective and is currently being modified to help with another new strain that was created recently." Ada handed Chris a file and he leafed through it, focusing on the important information for now.

"So he´s basically a super human, only human and not insane?"

Jill looked at Piers before nodding. "Basically yes. Wesker?"

"I think that sums it up nicely. I did find out that bullets are not enough to kill me and my speed and strength remained."

"Really?" Now this had Jake´s interest and he stood up, walking over to his father, staring at him for a moment. Seeing them face to face like this made Piers shudder and even Chris was staring. They were really alike. The same features. It made Piers wonder what would Jake look like if he would let his hair grow out, while at the same time Chris wondered how would Wesker look with red hair.

"Jake!" Piers called out as he saw the other man punch his father. Or try to, the hand caught quickly in a firm grip inches away from the man´s face.

"Impressive. Hereditary strength and speed."

"No, just talent to kick ass." Jake pulled away, satisfied and intrigued, eager to actually go up against Wesker one on one later. "How did you even get in here without anyone noticing you?"

"My speed remains unmatched."

"He was rather careless last night though, walking away with Chris like that. Did you forget we have cameras everywhere? Or could it be that you were too distracted to think?" Jill fixed Chris with a hard look and the man muttered something about forgetting, shifting in the chair while Wesker removed his shades to look at him.

"I think I am to blame as I surprised him after my talk with Jake. Usually it is the father who gives the son advice." Jake looked at him again, not entirely sure how he felt about Wesker calling himself a father. Or Jake his son. He said nothing, instead focused on Piers who was still looking from one man to another. 

"You really do have the same eyes. I thought Wesker´s were red."

"A side-effect removed thanks to the vaccine. Permanently, I hope." He had yet to test that theory. Seeing Piers continue to study him, Wesker met his gaze and raised a pale brow. Something about the young sniper was off.

"You don´t trust me."

"You betrayed Chris and Jill! You were a monster and bent on destroying the world! Who is to guarantee that this vaccine really did get rid of the virus or that you can control it? What if you go crazy again? Do you expect them to kill you? Have you even fucking seen how broken they were!?" Jake was surprised and so was Chris, but before anyone could say a thing Wesker nodded.

"Indeed, but I have been in control for quite a while now. Besides, the vaccine works perfectly. Or have you noticed any side-effects?" Piers froze, eyes wide as he slowly looked at his right arm, flexing his fingers. "It is my blood that enabled a vaccine for your treatment, which has been successful, of course. I made the vaccine myself after all."

"Your blood?" Piers´ voice was barely above a whisper as he gripped at his wrist, expecting his arm to go crazy any second. "You mean the vaccine Jake injected me with was made with your blood? With the virus still inside you? That makes me-"

"Perfectly healthy and in control. There are no side-effects." Wesker put his shades back on, aware that even Chris was glaring at him now along with Jake. Jill remained the calmest, seemingly not bothered at all as she ate and Ada watched them all in amusement. "The vaccine saved your life."

"It made me a monster!" His voice echoed in the room for a moment, but as he expected his arm to come to life and take all control away from him, there was nothing. Jake gently pulled him back down and gripped his shoulder, squeezing tightly. 

"You are not a monster, Piers. If anything, even after you infected yourself, you were as far from a monster as you could be." The way the man looked at him with those sad eyes hurt, but Jake would make sure to calm him down later. For now he stayed close, pushing another slice of pizza into the man´s hands while resisting the urge to pet his hair. The inquisitive look from Ada was not helping the situation.

"So to sum it all up: the vaccine removed all side-effects of any mutation, allowing it to retain most of the benefits it provided. Since the virus strains were different, Wesker remained the same, only stronger and faster. And still a giant pain in the ass. Piers on the other hand retained his arm as though nothing ever happened." Jill looked at both men briefly. "Now, Wesker has been working for the B.S.A.A. for about two years now. Almost three. And frankly... thanks to him we managed to deal with a lot more shit than we could ever have without him. Say what you want, the man is resourceful and a perfectionist. And often decided to deal with things himself while adhering to the code."

Jill sounded proud and Wesker did not move, staring off towards the window. It was obvious that Chris had mixed feelings about this. Something so big being hidden from him for so long... he hated that. But at the same time he didn´t have the heart to blame Wesker for hiding from him. No more of that.

"Is that it for the meeting? I want to take the puppy home instead of hanging out with you guys. No offence, but I really don´t feel like having another weird reunion." Jake stood up and Jill nodded after a moment.

"Sure, why not. If there are any new missions, you´ll be kept in the loop this time." Piers stood up as well, wanting nothing more than to go home and forget all about the vaccine at least for a while. Turning his back to Chris for a moment he tensed when a finger touched the back of his neck.

"Huh? You have a mosquito bite here. Kinda weird since it´s so cold out." Jake glared at the man, pulling Piers away from his reach.

"Probably the same kind of mosquito that bit you all over, Chris. Might want to do something about that." There was an unmistakably smug grin on Wesker´s face while realization dawned on Chris and his horrified face said it all. Taking the opportunity, Jake pulled Piers towards the door and outside, not even bothering to say goodbye to anyone as he lead him to the office to grab their things.

"We´re going home, come on." When Piers didn´t protest he was even more worried. Knowing where the vaccine came from didn´t bother him as much, since the same blood that ran in Wesker´s veins ran in his own and Piers didn´t seem adverse to that idea. 

The walk home took less time than usually, Jake rushing the entire way and once the door closed behind them he pulled Piers into his arms. "You´re not a monster. You never were and if you even try to argue I swear I will punch you. Come on..." They didn´t get enough sleep last night and Jake was all up for a nap. 

"He really is your father." Piers commented softly, following Jake to the bedroom, allowing himself to be pushed down to sit on the bed. "You have the same eyes. Even your bodies look really similar. Now I really know what Chris meant..."

"I´m not my father. For one, I don´t have any interest in Redfield. You on the other hand, I am almost too interested in." Lying down he pulled Piers into his arms, their position from last night reversed as he hugged him close and it was only a moment before the other wrapped his arms around him, face hiding in his chest.

"I like you, Jake." He confession came out of nowhere, but by now was almost redundant. With a soft chuckle, Jake closed his eyes.

"I noticed. And it´s a good thing you do, since I like you as well. Which... is a new thing for me. I´m not used to liking people or caring about them. And with Sherry it was different. With you... I guess I want to protect you. Because you mean a lot to me, Piers. Even if you were insufferable when we first met. And still can be."

"Same goes for you." He felt the other man smile against his chest and Jake hugged him closer, pressing a warm kiss to the top of his head. "But I still like you. You try to be so hard on yourself, you need someone to make you happy."

"That someone being you, Puppy?"

"Will you ever stop calling me that?"

"No."

"Then... I guess I will have to stick around and make you happy until you do."

"That would mean you stick around for a long time." In their line of work though, a long time could mean something different from the normal definition. "Go to sleep, Piers. We still have a date to go on, right? Our first date..." He didn´t even care what they would do.

"So... does that mean I can call you my boyfriend, too?" Jake hated the sound of that for the sole reason of how childish it seemed. But other than that, it was very appropriate.

"Definitely. Now sleep."

\---

"-and Jake noticed them in the locker room! He knew right away where they came from!" Chris was pacing in his office, shirt back on after he inspected his front and back in the mirror. The amount of marks Wesker left on him was incredible. After going to his place last night, sleep was the last thing on either man´s mind. The older man just calmly watched him pace, more amused than anything. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was?"

"I´m sorry."

"At least fucking try to sound like you are sorry, Wesker!" Chris stopped pacing and glared at the man, but the glare melted away into nothing when he stared into the blue eyes. "You don´t sound sorry at all."

"Because I´m not." Whispering those words, Wesker walked over to him, then took his hand and pulled him back onto the couch that Chris often used to sleep on when he didn´t feel like going back to his haunted apartment. Ending up in Wesker´s lap was a rather embarrassing position as well, but not that new. Thighs on either side of the other´s, Chris allowed himself to be pulled into a heated kiss. 

It was scary how easy it was to forgive him, even if he might never forget. Deepening the kiss he let his fingers slide through the blond hair, messing it up as a hand slid beneath his shirt.

"Did you lock the door?"

"I think so..." he wasn´t eager to check, too busy kissing his former Captain.

"Good enough."


	25. The first date

While Piers rested in his arms, Jake remained awake, watching him for no reason other than wanting to. Getting this attached to another person scared him. Terrified him. Either of them could die on a mission and they were both aware. But he was unwilling to go back to his old ways. Fuck it, by now he couldn´t. He cared too much to go back to the person he was before. Sherry would never forgive him and Piers would cry. He even cared about Chris and Jill. And now with Wesker back... he had no reason to go back.

Arms hugging the sniper closer he closed his eyes and buried his face in his hair. Just getting along would have been fine for the two men, but things were slowly moving to this point. They have been gravitating towards each other since... maybe since China even. Seeing Piers so terrified of going back worried Jake and forcing him back felt wrong. But everything turned out fine and Piers was back in his old world. And then they were suddenly living together and he was noticing so many things about the man. Like all those beauty marks on his body. 

Even before the first kiss he would sometimes just press the tip of a finger to one or another, touching it for a moment and could never explain why. The simple urge to touch the man was simply there. Other times he would trace the thin scars of his right arm with his eyes or just watch him for long minutes. The long lashes were oddly fascinating. And each time when called out he would taunt him, just to see his lips purse into that pout and the intense glare always made his eye greener as the other shone silver.

Thinking about all these details actually made him wonder how long he may have wanted to kiss him. Shameful to admit that Piers was the one to take the first step, but he was fine with how it all turned out. And now the man was asleep in his arms, trusting Jake enough to watch over him. And he would. He changed a whole fucking lot since his life in Edonia and he knew that. And he had his friends to blame for that. And thank them at the same time.

It was calming to watch Piers rest, allowing him to collect his own thoughts. To many things happened in a short time. First the Christmas party and the kiss. Then more kisses. Wesker. The vaccine. But strangely enough, none of that mattered as he watched Piers sleep, cuddled into his chest, eyes closed and breath gently brushing over his collarbone. He was... pretty cute. For an adult man who saved the world and all that. Really fucking cute.

Only a few hours passed and Jake actually did take a nap for a couple, but when Piers opened his eyes he was awake again, putting his phone away before the other noticed. He may have taken a photo of the man sleeping for... no reason at all. "Hey. Feeling better?" Not letting go, Jake kept a firm hold on the sniper as the other awoke more and more, eyes blinking until they were able to focus on him.

"Yea... still weird though. But better." Understandable, considering he only just found out what the vaccine that gave him back his old life was made from. Jake touched his cheek, brushing his knuckles over the warm skin, lingering on the two beauty marks he could not resist touching as often as possible. "About that date-"

"How about we go see that superhero movie that just came out? You like those and I like the action in them." Then they could go from there. Maybe Jake could cook again or play something for Piers. Just take it easy. Seeing the smile on his face he knew that he proposed the right thing.

"That´s a great idea!" Though Piers made no move to leave Jake´s embrace just yet. It was warm and comfortable, so why bother? And as far as he recalled, there was a later showing as well.

\---

"-and when he dodged the shield and then it bounced off the wall and hit him in the back! I know it doesn´t work that way, but it looked so cool!" Piers would not stop talking about the movie they just saw and Jake let him, walking beside the man with a soft smile. He had been doing that a lot lately. Smiling. His cheeks hurt sometimes at the end of the day, but he couldn´t resist when Piers was so excited about the movie. 

Honestly, he barely recalled who was who and cared even less. It was nice to watch, but that was it. Piers however seemed really into it. Their date was not bad at all. Movie and popcorn seemed a bit too clichéd, but it worked. Now they were on their way back home, walking slowly through the park, Jake´s arm draped over the other´s shoulders to prevent him from going too fast. He wanted to enjoy this. Dating wasn´t that bad. Even if some things felt childish. Then again, going a step further would mean he would call Piers his lover and his just boyfriend. That would take things too far. What was the middle ground on this?

"Jake? Are you even listening?"

"I was... kinda spaced out, sorry. Just thinking about how dating you isn´t a bad thing at all."

"Jerk." But Piers was smiling, pulling Jake into a kiss, their cold noses bumping briefly. "We should go home soon. It´s cold and my ass is freezing."

"Oh, is it? I´m willing to help warm you up." Gloved hands shamelessly reached down to grope at the shorter man´s rear and squeezed, prompting a lovely pink hue to colour Piers´ cheeks. The odd thing was, he wasn´t protesting. After what he had done earlier that day, Jake couldn´t see him actually do that.

"Ugh, gross! Faggots like you should just fucking choke on a dick!" Jake was about to steal a kiss before they were most rudely interrupted. Slowly pulling back he looked to the source, a group of four guys flipping them off. One took a step back when he saw the scar, but that was it. "Yea, you heard me! Get the fuck out of my country!"

"Sometimes I forget that saving the world meant saving idiots like this as well." Jake sighed and pulled away from Piers for a moment. The insults did not bother him at all, but he did not appreciate them insulting Piers. Not after what he had done for the country they lived in. "So, I take it as B.S.A.A. I am not allowed to kill or maim civilians."

"You´re supposed to protect them, Jake."

"I thought we´re fighting bioterrorism." 

"That´s the main cause. But no killing unless it´s the bad guys. Or J´avo. Or B.O.W.s. Besides, you don´t have your gun on you."

"Puppy, you know I don´t need it." Cracking his neck to the side, Jake smiled at Piers and took his jacket off, the cold air hitting him instantly. "I could do with an evening workout."

"Want any help?" Piers didn´t even need to ask, already knowing the answer and just stepped back. He should not find this as funny as it was, but he saw what Jake could do. These idiots... they would be lucky if they wouldn´t end up with broken limbs.

"Nah, I´m good. Just keep that warm for me or I´ll need you to warm me up some other way later." 

"Ugh, so fucking disgusting!" The flip of a butterfly knife provided a faint glimmer and Jake stepped back when the loud one tried to stab him. "The fuck-" Jake did not even try. Lifting his leg he kneed the man in the stomach, watching him double over in pain. 

"Alright, seriously? At least when you are trying to be tough, back it up with something." Kneeling down he grabbed a handful of the man´s hair, lifting his head from the snow. "Your form sucks ass, too." Standing up again he looked at the other three. "Okay, next!"

"The fuck are you!?"

_"B.S.A.A."_

"Shit, sorry, we-.. it´s his fault anyway. He´s just an asshole! Sorry!" Jake stood there, confused, expecting a little action when the other three grabbed their companion, lifting him up just enough to drag him away. Two years ago he would have gone after them and they would end up littering the streets. Now he just watched them flee before bending down to pick up the knife, tossing it in the trash.

"You just scared them away..." Piers sounded proud and amused while Jake felt cheated. Feeling the jacket back on his shoulders he turned to the other man, frowning still. "That was pretty hilarious. I can´t wait to tell Chris. But come on. My ass is really cold now and so is the rest of me."

"But I wanted some action. The movie had me so hyped up." Teasing Piers he once more pulled him close, continuing their walk home, this time undisturbed. 

"Well, the date is not over yet, is it?"

\---

It wasn´t until they were back home that Jake found out what Piers meant. The door was barely closed when his lips were claimed in a hot kiss, cold hands unzipping his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders. Piers really seemed into surprising him like this and what was worrisome, he was quite successful with it as well.

But not for long. Jake pushed him away, earning himself a confused look from the other before he pressed his finger to his lips. "Slowly." Still getting used to showing affection because he wanted to and for no other reason, Jake took off the man´s coat, hanging it up before locking the door and walking him to the couch, pulling Piers onto his lap. Now this was much better.

"Hm, you were right. Your ass is cold." His hands groped the man, squeezing and caressing, but he avoided his lips. Instead his mouth locked onto his neck, his cold nose brushing the skin and causing Piers to shiver. Such a strange feeling. So used to wearing his scarf, going out without it was almost foreign. And now Jake´s lips were tracing the path his cold nose pressed into, kissing the cool skin until it warmed up enough, Piers´ pulse rising.

And Jake could feel it. Hands still occupied with the man´s rear he continued to gently squeeze, their bodies pressed close as he lightly sucked on his neck, nipping the skin. One mark was not enough, he realized that now. A possessive streak ran through him, one that apparently ran in the family as well.

"Jake-"

"Shh." Moving away from his neck, the man smiled and finally kissed the pouty lips before Piers could use his puppy eyes on him. This time, he was in charge. And he wanted to show the man that he cared about him. Claiming his lips was the first step and he was aware of how soft they were, how quickly he was becoming addicted to this sensation. Pressing the other closer to his body he nipped his bottom lip just enough to get them to part, his tongue slipping inside. And there was that adorable moan.

Piers made the loveliest sounds when he wasn´t able to speak. And he talked a lot sometimes. Maybe shutting him up with a kiss was the way to go after all. Deepening the kiss he took charge completely as his tongue slid against the sniper´s, hands now possessively groping his ass before one slid up his back, beneath his shirt. He always felt so warm, too.

Removing the shirt entailed breaking the kiss, which Jake didn´t approve of. Thankfully, the solution was simple enough. Push it up high enough for him to get access to Piers´ chest and then let his hand fall down to the top of his pants. Piers pulled away from the kiss with a gasp, cheeks bright pink as he stared at Jake, yet he made no move to stop him. He wanted this. 

"Jake... are you sure?"

"You already took care of that earlier today. So now I get to play." With a handsome smirk he pecked his lips before his attention shifted to the man´s chest. The scars were there as well, a part of his right side different from the rest of his frame, but to Jake, he was beautiful. He could probably think of a better, maybe a more masculine term to describe the sniper, but beautiful? Yea, that one fit him perfectly. 

He flicked his tongue over a pink nipple and the reaction was immediate. Piers shifted in his lap, tensing for a moment and his hands gripped Jake´s shirt. His pants were uncomfortably tight already and this was only making it worse. And better at the same time, making him want more just so he could figure the dilemma out. And without a word Jake complied, repeating the motion as his hand undid his pants with deliberate slowness. Teasing Piers was always fun.

Soft gasps and moans filled the living room as his mouth teased the perky nipple, sucking until he felt it had enough and his attention shifted to play with the other one, all the time squeezing that amazing ass. Another gasp and Jake chuckled, his other hand finally taking out Piers´ member, slowly stroking to grant him some relief, albeit momentary. He was far from done. But this position was making things difficult.

Somewhat reluctantly he slid his hand away from his rear and lifted Piers off his lap to lay him onto the couch, lips once more ravishing the other´s before he could protest. At least now he could easily take the offending pants off, tossing them somewhere on the floor, the boxers soon following. 

He had seen Piers naked before, even earlier today in the showers, but seeing him like this while being the one in control was a bit different. He took a moment to just admire him and his heartbeat picked up as he drank in the view. Skin flushed with arousal, nipples perked from the treatment they received and lips bruised from the kisses. _Beautiful._

He stole one more kiss before his lips began their descend, leaving little nips and kisses along the way, small marks of possession marring the other´s skin. No, not marring. They made Piers even more stunning and Jake enjoyed seeing them against the pale flesh. Because _he_ placed them there, which effectively made Piers his. Another strangled groan, almost a plea and Jake could not resist teasing him some more.

Piers had a great body, the long weeks of working hard to regain what he lost showing. The muscles of his thighs tensed as Jake moved low enough to part them just a bit more, but instead of giving the man perhaps what he wanted the most right now, that being some kind of relief, more nips followed, teeth leaving marks on his inner thighs.

"Jake!" Frustration showing, Jake only grinned as he saw the other´s face and waiting until their eyes locked. Staring straight into those eyes he did not even blink as he finally moved to the man´s length, slowly licking up, tonguing the tip before taking him in. And then he took more, eyes never leaving Piers´ own as he relaxed his throat and sucked hard.

Piers nearly came on the spot. This was unlike anything he ever experienced before and the way Jake was staring at him he knew he couldn´t look away. His hands shook as he gripped at the cushions. Sure, he knew that Jake had more experience, but this kind of thing was just... fuck, he sucked again, those blue eyes smiling since Jake´s mouth was otherwise occupied. Feeling as though his entire body was burning, not just his face, Piers was unable to even speak now, the only sounds leaving his lips being soft moans and whimpers as he attempted to hold back.

Too bad Jake was having none of that, watching him struggle before sucking harder, moving his head, teasing him with more slow treatment before he started to properly suck his off. His lips wrapped around the head, tongue already massaging the underside. The reaction was immediate, a strangled moan falling from Piers´ lips and Jake would have smirked if he could. Still trying to hold back, was he?

He continued to suck, not stopping for even a moment, one hand squeezing at his thigh before the other snuck between the man´s legs. Even that part of him was quivering and Jake gave his length one hard suck as he gently pressed the tip of his middle finger to his entrance. Not pushing in just yet, he kept teasing the rim, pressing and massaging until it softened and since there was not even a hint of Piers wanting him to stop, blue eyes never having left the man´s face, Jake carefully eased the digit inside. 

If he thought his body was naturally before, then inside he was burning hot. One digit would suffice for now and it didn´t take long to find that one spot. Piers´ face revealed everything and the moment the tip of his finger pressed to his prostate his eyes went wide and his back arched off the bed, accidentally forcing him to thrust forward at the same time. But Jake was ready. Though it has been a while, things really felt different when it was someone he cared about.

He gave Piers a moment to catch his breath, but only enough to stop trembling too much before he did it again. And again and again, thrusting the lone finger gently inside him. And the more he did it, the more Piers trembled, his voice filling the room with incoherent sounds and soon enough Jake felt him tense more than before. Fingertip pressed to that spot, he pulled back, lips still around his member as the other came. And returning the courtesy from before, though more because he wanted to, Jake swallowed, eyes falling shut for a moment.

Very slowly he pulled out of the man, slowly straightening and just stared at Piers. Arm thrown over his eyes, shirt a rumpled mess as his body glistened, the marks now shining bright, an unmistakable proof of Piers being taken. Which he definitely was. Jake refused to share with anyone. Something inside his chest felt strange, but he ignored the feeling, getting off the couch instead.

Not bad for a first date.


	26. Gone and revealed

Over a month. It has been over a month since the first kiss and the touches that followed afterwards and Jake could feel the sniper in his life being rather frustrated with him. Thankfully, it wasn´t because of a lack of intimacy between them. Though they had yet to actually go all the way, there was no lack of action between them. Aside from the fact that they took to sleeping in the same bed most of the time, neither stopped wanting to touch the other man. Even at work the stolen kisses continued, the showers providing an adrenaline rush and neither knew that Chris once actually saw them and hastily turned around, ensuring no one else left the training room until the two were done. Some things were just better this way.

Wesker visited a few times and they talked more. Making up for two decades was not easy, but he was trying, but one evening he mostly spoke to Piers, explaining the details of the vaccine, what it meant, showing him the formula process and that it was perfectly safe. Chris reassured him over and over again that everything was alright and the one evening where all four met went out for dinner was every bit as awkward as it could be, no thanks to father and son each having a rather striking appearance.

Still working for the B.S.A.A. from the shadows, Wesker was more often than not found either in Jill´s or Chris´ office, vanishing the moment anyone knocked on the door who was unaware of his existence. And Jake liked it about as much as Chris. There has been another mission, this time in Spain, a large compound with an underground lab that had the C-virus samples ready to be deployed. It would have taken mere days for it to spread all over Europe, then maybe a week more to infect the world. Everything has been disposed of and no one else knew, but slowly the Alpha team began to question where the intel came from. Something like this was no amateur work.

But Wesker refused to let himself be known, still atoning for what he had done. No one could convince him otherwise and when Ada Wong showed up and disagreed, pointing out that the agency she worked for was already aware, Wesker didn´t show up for a whole week. Agents Kennedy and Birkin were made aware as well, Sherry´s concerned call reaching Jake in the middle of the night. He forgot that she had known the man when she was a kid...

At the end of January, the stores were filled with red and pink, hearts everywhere and romantic messages on every corner. Making plans for Valentine´s Day was a new thing for Jake as well, but surprisingly it was Wesker who gave him a few tips. The man seemed to be taking his father role a bit too seriously at times, yet Jake never called him that. He never might.

But after a few weeks of dating, Jake decided that he liked the current life. The B.S.A.A. was a nice place and although at times annoying, his colleagues and teammates were not the worst bunch of people he ever had to deal with. The only remaining problem he encountered were the stickers over his name in the locker room. They never ceased appearing and there was never anyone there. Earlier this week he already got rid of one and already as he walked to his locker he expected to find something. But this message was different. There was no sticker, just a carving in the metal paint. WESKER.

Getting rid of this might be a bit more complicated.

\---

"I´m just saying, it´s been happening since you joined and didn´t stop by now, so someone out there is being a giant asshole and you need to tell Chris." They had been arguing about this for two hours now. Ever since Piers had found Jake with the ripped out locker door folded in half. The man´s solution baffled him sometimes.

"And I´m telling you that it´s just some asshole who´s too much of a coward to face me and this is the best he can do." Jake leaned against Piers´ new desk, staring him down and crossed his arms over his chest. He rather liked this. Chris finally reinstated him officially as his Lieutenant, which gave him his own office. Small as it was, it was private and Jake hung out there more than anywhere else.

"He carved Wesker into the damn locker!" Almost shouting, Piers was furious about how careless Jake was with this. Pushing him into the desk he stared straight into those blue eyes. His strength increased lately, after talking to Wesker about the possibilities of the virus he carried, but only the two knew the details, which kinda pissed Jake off.

"And what do I do once I find this bastard? Everyone will want to know what happened and then it will be out." Though he couldn´t say that he cared. He was not his father, as was evident by now. "I can´t do shit until that asshole finds me and either tries to kill me or starts shit. So give it a rest already."

"I don´t want you getting hurt." The concern was touching, but didn´t change anything with how annoyed he was.

"I´m not going to. Look, I will think about it if it makes you happy, but for now, keep it to yourself, okay? I´m off for the day, so I´ll drop by the store on my way home. You said we were running out of maple syrup again." Brushing his thumb over Piers´ cheek he pressed a light kiss to his lips, hoping to pacify him at least for a while. "I´ll pick up some other things, so don´t be late, alright?"

"Okay...and don´t forget the popcorn."

"How could I? The last time you pouted all evening until I found another way to distract you." Seeing the man blush was still one of his favourite things and Jake smirked before pulling away. "I´ll be waiting, so don´t go chatting with anyone for too long."

"I should be home before six, don´t worry." One more kiss and Jake left, closing the door behind him. He had a few hours left to spare before Piers would get home and he wanted to see if he could find something suitable for that stupid romantic day two weeks from now. Chocolates or something.

\---

He hid the contents of the black bag in the drawer in his room the moment he got home. It was ridiculous. He was a grown man and used the stuff before, but never for his own pleasure. Now he was worried that Piers wouldn´t want to go that far. Checking the time he realized he had one hour left before the sniper would get home and started working on dinner, looking forward to another enjoyable evening.

At six he set two plates of chicken risotto on the table and waited.

At half past he was calling Piers´ phone, only to go straight to voicemail.

At seven he was getting dressed, grabbing his gun and ammo to spare as he locked up. Taking the stairs, he listened for the sound of familiar footsteps, but there was no one. Going down their usual path he glared at every person who passed and wasn´t Piers. 

Quarter past seven, Jake entered the B.S.A.A. building, ignoring the shouting receptionist and security guard. They knew his face and he didn´t have the time.

"Redfield better still be here." Again he tried calling, again the voicemail answered. The security office was off limits, but that didn´t stop him as he forced his way in, enough to get the guard to shout at him. 

"Fuck off before I hurt you!" Snarling at the man he headed straight for the log, needing a moment to find the right timestamp. Piers. He left the building. "Which is the feed for the outside cameras?" The man didn´t answer, staring at him. "Which one!?" 

"H-here!" One of the screens switched and he watched the recording. Piers, the unmistakable scarf around his neck as he left the building. The feed shifted and he saw him walk towards the sidewalk, taking a step back as a van pulled up. Watching with wide eyes, Jake could not believe it. Four men sprang out, grabbing at him and even though he trained with him as often as possible, along with Chris and Jill, Piers was a better sniper. But it was not until one of the men grabbed something from his pocket, the glimmer of a syringe temporary as he injected the man and Piers collapsed, dragged into the vehicle.

"Play it again!" he barked at the guard and watched the feed again and again, trying to see any details at all. How was this ignored? Missed? It made no sense. The van kept vanishing without as much as a trace and Jake felt dread overtake him. Someone had Piers.

"Why didn´t anyone see this? Isn´t that your fucking job!?" Turning to the guard he found himself staring at the barrel of a gun and a second later he knew. "It was _you_. Those stickers."

"You piece of shit just kept getting in the way! Wesker´s bastard, you should have died back when Carla put you in that facility!" The shot rang out, hitting the computer behind him, but Jake was already moving, grabbing the man´s wrist hard enough to force his fingers open before he simply shattered it. The sharp cry of pain felt good. The punch he threw even better as he felt bone break. But he wasn´t done. He grabbed the man by the throat, tossing him out of the security room as someone already called reinforcements.

"Where is he!? Where did you take Piers!?" He threw the man down the hall, smashing his head into the ground. Reminding himself to keep him conscious or at the very least alive was hard, so he took his time to break his arm instead, the snap of a bone sickeningly loud.

_"Jake! The fuck are you doing!"_

"They took Piers!! And this asshole has been leaving WESKER messages all over my locker for months!" Piers was right. He should have told Chris or Jill or someone he trusted. Now Piers was gone.

"My office. Now!" Chris stared at him as he lifted up the security guard and Jake saw red again. "Fall in line, Muller. My office, now. Jill, I´m going to need Alpha and Delta on standby. I want everyone in this building inspected and this man interrogated."

"On it. Jake, come on, I´m gonna need you to show me-"

"The security feed has Piers walking out at 1722 hours. The van showed up seconds after. Four men in black, one of them injected him and they took him. No discernible signs or markings. And this asshole has been leaving stickers with my father´s name on my locker for months before scratching it up today." He wanted to kill him like no one else before.

"I´ll redirect the feed to Chris´ office. Go there, I´ll come by shortly. And try to calm down and not kill anyone."

_"They took Piers!"_

"And we´re getting him back, I promise." Jake watched her run off while Chris hauled the man off to Ed and Simon, giving out orders like the Captain he was and once more it became obvious why he commanded such respect. He wasn´t even sure how he ended up sitting in a chair in Redfield´s office, face in hands as he recalled talking to Piers just a few hours ago. Everything was fine. They would have dinner together and watch their favourite show and now he was gone.

"So they finally struck. I thought it would take longer." He recalled Ada´s voice, but couldn´t care less for now, standing up as he stared at the woman.

"Who is _they_?" 

"A branch of Neo-Umbrella devoted to Carla Radames. Sickeningly so, their researchers working o the virus, trying to perfect it and create a new race of super soldiers. After seeing what happened to Piers, they have been trying to get their hands on the vaccine you used. When that didn´t work, I guess they got tired of waiting."

"And you´re telling me this shit now!?" Jake stalked over to her, not even bothered by the way her crossbow dug into his chest. She could shoot all she wanted, the lot of good it would do. "They took Piers!"

"And I told you we´re getting him back." Jill came in, along with Chris and a moment later Wesker was there, frowning and standing in the corner of the room. "We have a confession and some information. Chris was very persuasive. Since it didn´t happen that long ago, Piers shouldn´t be far. There´s apparently a facility in the outskirts of the city... an old Neo-Umbrella compound that was closed off." The map showed the area before zooming out, calculating the quickest path. "If we-hey! What are you doing?"

"I´m taking him back." Jake had the necessary information memorized and wasn´t about to waste time. Storming out of the room he was halfway down the corridor when he felt a hand on his shoulder. And for once he did not care who it was, twisting around to push the person into a wall.

"You need to calm down and be rational." Wesker´s voice was as cool as always and that only fuelled his rage more.

"I don´t give a fuck about that!" Jake threw consequences out of the window, reaching back to punch the man, but his fist hit the wall instead. Arms locked around him and tried to restrain his movement, but he was ready. And he was furious. Bending forward at the waist he felt the grip leave as he tossed the man over his head, but Wesker was standing once more and moving closer. "You´re not going to stop me."

"I am. At this rate you´re going to get yourself killed."

"Here´s a newsflash: I don´t give a fuck! They have Piers and I´m taking him back!" He survived two decades of hell, survived being experimented on, lived through a fight with the damn Ustanak while surrounded by lava and when he was finally happy that happiness was taken away from him. His chest hurt, but already he threw another punch at the man.

And this time his fist connected as he moved faster than a human should be able to. Caught off guard, Wesker stumbled back and neither heeded the calls from Jill or Chris while Ada looked on in amusement, her phone in her hand.

"You´re getting better, but not good enough."

"Fuck you, old man!" Jake moved again, even faster, but this time the punch was expected and blocked. Wesker stared at him through the shades, studying Jake´s face and saw the pure fury in the eyes that matched his own. And then Jake blinked and there was a red glow, albeit brief and Wesker let go, twisting the other´s arm behind his shoulder.

"You need to calm down right now before things escalate, Jake."

"I´ve had enough! Piers is waiting for me!" This was all a giant waste of time when he could already be halfway through the city. Jake struggled before lunching backward, forcing Wesker against a wall and the second the grip loosened he twisted his arm free and whipped around, swinging at his father´s head. The force of the punch knocked the shades off his nose and Jake took that moment to jump down a floor below. Any normal human and their legs might not be in the best shape. But he... might not be entirely human.

"Jake!" All the noise attracted attention, the rest of Alpha team showing up and for a moment just stared. Wesker was too busy to care, following Jake over the railing and knocked him to the ground. And the more he tried to stop Jake, the angrier the other got, his speed growing considerably. Chris was helpless to put a stop to it, only able to prevent his team from doing anything stupid as he saw Simon reach for his gun.

"What is-why is he here? What the hell is going on!?"

"It´s a father-son thing." Ada Wong leaned on the railing, recording the entire fight as Jake threw his father into the receptionist's desk, crushing it on impact. A moment later he was tossed into a pillar, the wind knocked out of him before he moved. With every punch he felt the anger inside him grow and the helplessness he felt grasp tighter onto him. Piers was gone. And it was probably his fault.

"Stop getting in the way dammit!" He yelled again, not even bothering with his gun even though it might just provide the upper hand now. Instead he threw himself at Wesker, forcing the man to the ground and repeatedly punched him. There seemed to be no effect to that, but the older man just took it, letting his son take out the anger on someone who would not be affected, or not as much. He might be in some pain later, considering what he had seen. Another punch and his head broke through the marble flooring, causing Chris to panic.

_"Wesker!?"_

"Captain! Should we shoot!?"

"Don´t you fucking there! You could hurt them!" Chris nearly panicked, holding his arm up in a fist.

"Them?"

"I will explain as soon as those two are done. Just be glad it´s not one of you down there with Jake." Jill watched the fight with worry in her eyes as Wesker jumped up, throwing Jake off-balance for a precious couple of seconds and used that to punch him in the gut. And though he didn´t hold back, watching Jake recover within seconds was remarkable. The blue eyes glowed red, just like his own used to, but the only change he noticed was the way he moved. Faster and stronger, just like his father, bypassing the side-effects that Wesker suffered completely. When exactly did this happen?

Snapped out of his musings when Jake kicked him in the chest he stumbled back, catching the next kick and spun around, forcing Jake down. The next punch would leave a bruise and he was actually proud of Jake, but this wasn´t the right time. He had to find a way to calm him down and quickly. Though his cover was blown, they had other things to worry about.

They continued like that for a good five minutes, neither man giving in and Chris could not believe how evenly matched they were. It took him years go get strong enough to be able to stand his own against Wesker and Jake was actually going head to head against him. The rest of the Alpha just stared, Jill taking the time to gather some more info. The only one enjoying it was Ada.

Jake reached out to punch his father again and missed as Wesker vanished, his fist meeting the concrete pillar behind him instead. The same pillar he was a second later kicked into, more dust rising from the destruction they laid to the lobby. Another punch, this time he hit, but when he tried again his fist was caught and twisted away.

"We´re getting him back, Jake, but you need to calm down. Otherwise you could end up hurting him." The adrenaline already leaving his body, Jake´s body suddenly slumped to the ground as he buried his face in his hands. When was the last time he cried like this? Back during Christmas, when Piers gave him those photos... that´s right. Piers was still out there and waiting for him.

Feeling arms slowly wrap around him, Jake had no will left to fight now and let Wesker embrace him, the older man aware of others watching. But that didn´t matter. He had to protect his son. He had been in his place before, fighting against the virus poisoning his mind, but kept losing as he went after Chris over and over again, brief moments of clarify his only solace. And now they were almost happy. He wasn´t going to let Jake and Piers suffer. He held his son as Jake´s shoulders shook and felt hot tears soak into his shirt, sore hands gripping onto the material as he cried. Slowly, Wesker looked up to the railing, nodding to Chris who sighed. 

"Captain... why is Albert Wesker hugging Jake?"

"It´s... a long story. Right now we have other things to worry about."

_Like saving Piers._


	27. A bloody rescue

Jake had enough explaining to last him a lifetime or two. And though Jill made an effort to make it quick, it was taking still too long for his liking. He needed to get out and go after that van and find Piers and not sit here while the Alpha team glared at him and Wesker. Of course they were suspicious! And his father just sat there, memorizing the map and details about the rogue group that separated from Neo-Umbrella and trying to see what they had on hand that could get in the way. Ada Wong seemed amused over something, but he could not give less of a shit until she started to talk about the group, revealing information that would have been useful before all this mess.

"So wait, if I get this right, that guy over there has been actually working for the B.S.A.A. for so long when he tried destroying the world before that and even before that he worked with Captain and Jill and Jake is his... Jake is a Wesker?" The growl from the man made Simon shut up rather quickly.

"My name is Jake Muller and I am not my father."

"But you were fighting just like him! I mean your speed and strength and the blows were just... no normal human could take that! Well, maybe Chris, but-"

"I don´t give a fuck if you want to call me a monster or kill me. We can duke it out later. AFTER I get Piers back."

"You seem awfully concerned about your roommate you know." Jake stared at the man, watching as Ed pulled him down to whisper something into his ear.

"What? No way! Since when were they-"

"Would you _shut up_ already! Wesker is a good guy, Jake is his son, he´s dating Piers and Piers has been fucking kidnapped for some fucked up reason and we are going to get him back!" Chris´ voice echoed in the room loudly enough to silence everyone gathered. Wesker was just impressed. Were this any other time he would have dragged Captain Redfield away. That had to wait.

"They aren´t going to kill him, I know that much. They want the vaccine that enabled Wesker to be as he is now and Piers to be his normal self. Which is to say, they could still hurt him plenty of they tried to. It´s only been two hours, so we are actually making good time with all this. Wesker?"

The man stood up, walking around the Alpha team, causing Simon to recoil even though he was the furthest and the other two just sighed. "Indeed, as Ada said, they are after the vaccine made from my and Jake´s blood. But the dose given to Piers was one of a kind. Replicas have been made, but the vaccine merged with the C-virus inside him and created a new strain of virus that is actually useful. Which is what they are after. In hopes to obtain power, they want to harness this new mutated form and use it." Jake heard enough. All this talk and still no closer to getting Piers back.

He stood up, stalking over to his father and for a moment Chris worried that he was going to punch him again, but instead he just pointed at the building that now served as the new base for the people who took his boyfriend away. "How do I get in?"

"Several options are presented. The silent kind, vents and assassinations, might be more suitable, but as you are right now, going head on might be better. They will send out enough men to weaken the inner defence. In order to get rid of them, I will need Alpha team to treat this as any other mission. Kill anyone left." Wesker´s eyes slid over the others, lingering on each and every one of them.

"Simon and Cole, you are to follow Jill and clear the area. Ed, do your thing, don´t worry about overdoing it. It would be useful if you could place a few dummy explosives so we can lure them out here and here." Chris pointed at two points on the map, highlighting the area for a moment. "Cole will snipe them while Jill and Simon will get rid of the rest. I´ll go with Wesker and Jake to get Piers back."

"I don´t need either of you slowing me down." Jake growled, glaring daggers. He failed. Someone hurt Piers again when he told the man so many times that he would protect him. Jake didn´t care that any damage from the fight with Wesker healed before his anger subsided. He didn´t care if something was wrong with him as well. All he wanted was to hug Piers close and make sure he was unharmed.

_Fuck._

It took him so long, it took Piers being taken away from him to realize this. All the weeks they spent living together, becoming closer, it was not just friendship. Not just simple affection.

He was-

"The armourer wasn´t pleased, but he got a few things ready, so let´s get to it. We´re getting Piers back and wiping out those assholes. In that order. Questions?" Jill looked around and only Ada raised her hand. 

"Can I come along for the ride or is this party B.S.A.A. only?"

"You´ll do whatever you want, so why are you asking?"

"I thought I would be polite for once." Jake was not even surprised, but didn´t care. He was the first out the door and the first in the armoury, grabbing whatever he needed with blatant disregard for the man glaring at him. Changing clothes took only a moment. Still refusing to go with the standard gear he chose what he liked best. The same type of black pants and combat boots, the dark shirt he had several of, the suspenders hanging at his waist before pulled into place. The belt held enough ammo to take out enough people and make sure they stayed down.

"I´m getting you back, Puppy." There was a flash of red in his eyes, albeit brief, as he grabbed his coat and headed outside to the waiting car. Ada was playing with her crossbow, humming a familiar tune before they were joined by the others.

"So he´s really coming along, huh?" Simon, still vary of Wesker, kept glancing to the man.

"I assure you I have no intention of going crazy. It would upset Christopher and I cannot have that."

"What?"

"Get a fucking move on before I throw you into the fucking car, Simon!" Jake´s words had more than a little bite and two cars quickly filled, Jake behind the wheel as Chris took the other. And perhaps he should let his Captain lead the way, but there was no time to even give a fuck about that. He floored it, the tires protesting as he drove off, ignoring traffic lights as though they were mere suggestions.

"A man in love is a scary thing." Simon´s voice was still too loud.

_"Shut up already."_ The double voice from both Wesker and Jake made the man instantly cringe. Not another word was heard the rest of the ride.

Not that it was a long one. With Jake´s insane driving and Chris following suit, it was only minutes before they reached the outskirts of the city. It was dark and cold and reminded Jake of Edonia for a moment. When he first met Piers. Pissing him off was so much fun each time they met. Now he just did it to see him pout and to be able to kiss the pout away.

Both cars stopped at the same time and they all stepped out. Jake was more than ready to storm the building, but the hand on his shoulder stopped him. Ready to snap at his father he was surprised to see Chris staring at him. "Cool your head. Don´t forget that this is Piers we´re taking back."

Those words actually helped. It was so easy to forget just how good Piers was. That he didn´t just make it to the B.S.A.A., but that he had been chosen. Jake nodded, reaching for his gun all the same, checking the chamber. Fully loaded. 

"Alright, remember your positions and move in. No hostages, no questions. Refer to Jill or me in case anything happens. If we´re not there, talk to Wesker. He´s been doing this kind of shit a lot longer than any of us. That and more." No one protested this time and when they moved away, Jake was already heading to the entrance. Sneaking in was not going to happen. Besides, they were probably expecting them. But they were not expecting Wesker himself.

If someone didn´t believe that Jake was pissed off, they did after he shot the two guards outside. Not even blinking, the two bullets sent them flying and he simply walked in. Neo-Umbrella. It always came down to some asshole just wanting power. And at one point that asshole was his father. Speaking of, Wesker was already off ahead, snapping the neck of another guard while Jake fired another bullet, straight into the security camera in one corner.

Briefly he heard Chris sigh.

He knew why. Acting more like the mercenary he used to be, Jake simply didn´t give a fuck. Only that this time there was no money at stake. He moved with precision, not one bullet wasted and Chris took care of the back. Seeing Jake and his father work together was scary. They were really similar and for a moment Chris recalled the last time he actually worked with Wesker like this. The mansion... has it really been that long? The betrayal he felt still stung.

"Christopher, there are two doors. You stay here.

"What? No I´m-"

"Staying here. You´d only get in the way." Jake looked at him and after a second, the man nodded. The same terrifying look. Watching them move in he heard explosions go off outside. Ed was doing a good job with the distractions. This... had to turn out well.

\---

Jake didn´t need anyone breathing down his neck. Away from Chris and his father he could focus much better. Holstering the gun he relied on his hands once more and none of the anger he felt before diminished during his fight with Wesker. If anything, the bright flame burned even brighter and stronger as he left bodies in his wake. It was only when they started to dissolve into a strange goop that he stopped.

"Chris, we got some new form of J´avo here or something. Kill them and they melt." Stabbing another one with his own knife he watched the body bubble.

"Same on my end. The substance is sticky, but doesn´t seem toxic. Although the smell is revolting." Chris could just picture a displeased Wesker grimacing over a bad smell.

Jake moved with a specific purpose in mind, even when a door opened and three men attacked him, bullets ricocheting around while he ducked behind a corner. They were not going to stop him. No one was. The anger surged through him just enough to allow him to focus on how badly he wanted to save Piers. He hadn´t even told him...

That anger was all he needed as he moved forward and dodging the bullets was almost too easy now. They should have hit him, at least half of them going through the spot where he stood a fraction of a second before, but already his hand grabbed the front most J´avo and slammed his head into a wall. The next two followed, one impaled with a chair leg before disintegrating, the other´s head crushed underneath his boot.

Whatever was happening to his body was helping him.

And continued to help him. Clearing one room after another he left only goopy stains in his wake. Breathing hard he ignored Wesker´s voice through the earpiece. His way yielded a dead end and he and Chris were coming his way. Jake saw no need to wait, already clearing another room, a man in a white coat screaming before Jake forced the barrel of his gun into his gaping mouth. Shoot first, ask questions later. Too bad the dead couldn´t answer.

"They´re after the test subject! I told you to wait!" The shouting from behind a heavy metal door was frantic and more voices followed, yelling over each other. "Just get the damn gun!"

Jake didn´t hear more than that as he grabbed the edge of the door and pulled hard. It should be impossible to move for just one person, but only after a moment it gave in, the metal folding beneath his fingers as he pulled it open and stepped inside.

The bullet someone fired bounced off the door right beside his head, the aim awful and he took almost disturbing satisfaction in shooting back, watching the man in white fall back into a lab desk. "Where is Piers?" 

"I don´t kno-" He shot the man before he could finish the lie and turned to the remaining one in the room. He couldn´t see him anywhere. The lab was huge, too much so, but none of the rooms even suggested that the man was around. They couldn´t have moved him elsewhere...

"I will ask again. Where. Is. Piers?"

"T-the containment chamber!" Another shot rang out after he received the answer he wanted. Sometimes it paid off to actually ask first, but that didn´t change the fact that he was going to get rid of every last one. Moving through the lab he made sure to wage as much destruction as he could, searching the large room for any hint of his chamber.

"Jake!"

Wesker´s voice made him look up from the desk he was studying, the computer open on a feed of a bound male he knew well. "Piers´ still alive." The best news of the evening so far. "But I don´t know where. That asshole mentioned a containment chamber."

"The layout follows the basic Umbrella laboratories. If I recall correctly..." Wesker moved towards one wall and inspected the panel. When it lit up and demanded a password he moved to one of the dead men, rummaging through his pockets until he found the necessary access card. The door wasn´t even fully open when Jake barged in, running down the long hallway. Ignoring Chris calling after him he was only barely aware of an automatic gun focusing on him, the bullets too slow to catch up. He was too fast. Way too fast.

The next door was unlocked, nobody having deemed it necessary to lock it as well since the prisoner was drugged and no one could possibly get through to them. Jake heard metal screeching and crashing somewhere and knew that the automatic guns were no longer in use, but he only had eyes for the bound man behind the glass wall.

_"Piers!!"_

Voice loud enough to echo, Jake punched at the wall, the force barely enough to crack it. Frustrated he hit it again and again, shooting at one part, but the bullet only bounced off. The light of the chamber was blinding and he hit it again and again, but it stood firm, separating him from the sniper.

"You can´t break that. It was specially made to contain monsters like him. Destroying my team like that. How dare you get in my way. First you killed off Carla, then destroyed years of precious research with that Ada Wong, ruined the plans we had for the virus, everything is your fault!" He couldn´t see the man talking, but he heard a gun being fired. A second later there was a sharp pain in his chest and a wet, warm feeling spreading, soaking into his shirt.

_"No!!"_

So this was what it felt like to be shot. Jake touched the wound, aware that Wesker was shouting his name, followed by Chris rushing to him. More shots rang out, then a strangled noise, then nothing. After all he had done and seen, after all he had heard about people dying, his own mother not an exception, he expected something different. Like his vision going black or feeling weak. But instead he just felt angry. The wall separating him from Piers was still there and as he turned around he saw his own blood sliding off the glass, mismatched eyes staring at him in shock and horror.

"Jake!!" Piers stood up, or at least attempted to, shaking as he collapsed and Jake leaned against the glass. Someone was by his side, trying to force tablets past his lips, but he pushed the hand away. He felt fine, just sore and tired. But Piers was alright and only that mattered. He wasn´t hurt.

"Sorry I took so long, Puppy." Whispering he pressed his hand against the glass. "There has to be a way to turn this off."

"Jake, you were _shot-_ "

"Don´t care." Chris stared at him before realizing what was going on. Stepping away he focused on the door instead, the remaining men coming after them, guns blazing. Wesker was already moving about the room, looking for a panel or a device to take the wall down.

"Jake... step away."

"Puppy, I´m not-"

"Just move!" Something about Piers´ voice forced him to listen for once and he grabbed Redfield as he saw him clutch at his arm. His fingers were twitching, a spark curling around his wrist, then up the whole limb. It was a quick change from there, one moment his right hand was the same Jake held on so many occasions, the next moment the mutated form he witnessed back in China returned and a giant spark shot out against the wall, bouncing off a few times before another one forced it into the initial crack. The thick glass splintered into a web-like pattern before shattering.

"Piers..."

"Not... done yet..." Breathing hard, the sniper stepped forward, still shaking, but as he saw the thick shards stained red with Jake´s blood another spark enveloped the mutated limb. The long hallway was already full of new men determined to stop them, but Piers was more than ready to deal with them. The blinding white electricity fried them, not leaving a trace and he collapsed, the limb pulsating in time with his heartbeat before very slowly it shifted back. 

But the process was painful, causing Piers to cry out in pain and clutch at the limb. The same pain as he felt back in China that he hoped to never feel again wrecked his body, but when Jake´s arms wrapped around him it was more bearable. 

Wesker watched all this in amazement. The virus was actually obeying the young man. But there would be time to talk about it later. Walking over to the two once the whimpering sounds ceased he stared at Jake before lifting his shirt up and inspecting his back. "A clean shot, straight through the heart, the bullet exiting on the other side." But all that remained was a faint scar. By all accounts, Jake should be dead right now. But instead he was smiling. "Remarkable."

"Can you fucking knock it off? I need to get Piers home. Or to a hospital or something."

"No hospitals... those places suck. Besides, I´m fine. You´re the one who was shot." Helping him stand, Jake wrapped his arm around Piers´ waist. 

"Yea, no idea what happened there... still hurts like a bitch." Slowly he started to walk, Wesker leading the way just in case any remaining stragglers decided to be foolish enough to try and stop them. Chris stared at the broken down wall and what he had witnessed, flashbacks from the underground facility in China bringing back nightmares. Kneeling down he removed Piers´ scarf from the shards and pocketed it, not about to leave it behind. Then he ran to catch up with them.

\---

"Piers!" Seeing Wesker emerge in such a calm manner gave everyone the hope they needed before they saw Jake and Piers walk out of the building. Cole was the first there, eager to assist, but one glare from Jake and he knew not to get too close. "Everyone alright? What happened in there?"

"Later." Chris finally walked out as well and sighed. "Jill, we have him. It´s over. Call ahead to the HQ and have a medic on standby to give them a little check-up. Piers doesn´t like hospitals."

"On it. Oh, and just so you know, Ada is gone again. Don´t know when she left." As expected. Chris was not at all surprised and just focused on Jake as he half dragged Piers to the waiting car. They both looked like hell.

"Good job everyone. Head back to the HQ. Those two will be treated and afterwards... we can do some explaining or-"

"Captain, can we do that tomorrow? Or the day after? I think we all had enough for tonight and just need some rest. Those two especially. And you two also look like you need some time off." Surprisingly enough, it was Simon who spoke up, nodding towards Jake and Piers before looking towards Wesker and Chris. "Right now, I doubt anyone wants to sit down and listen." The others nodded, Jill yawning to make a point.

"That´s fine with me. Alright. Head back to the HQ and then go home. The day after tomorrow I expect you all in my office-"

"Christopher, your office is not big enough for everyone."

"Fine. I´ll think of something. Just be there at noon." Everyone seemed to find that agreeable and slowly piled back into the car. Chris sat behind the wheel again, Wesker taking over the other car and this time the ride was more gentle, albeit still fast. Jill was already arranging for Delta and Echo to come deal with the remains, clean out the entire area and any files that would help down the road. Because this seemed to be far from over.

\---

The medic cleared them both as tired and in need of rest, but that was it for a verdict. It left Jake wondering what exactly was going on with his body, but he was too happy to have Piers back to care. Refusing to leave his side for even a second he kept holding his hand as they walked from the medic´s office and outside to the waiting car. "Sorry I got so careless."

"It´s... my fault. I should have listened to you and told Chris about the locker and all that." Driving them home, Jake would not stop beating himself up over this fact. It was too late now. Piers got kidnapped and hurt because of his own stupid pride. And his father´s presence was revealed as well.

"Jake, it´s fine. We are both alright. Let´s just go home, shower and eat." Now that sounded like a perfect plan. Jake sped down the road and to the B.S.A.A. apartments, eager to be finally back home.

Everything was as he left it. The two plates with food now cold and dry, ready to be tossed away. The welcoming silence as he flicked the light switch on was pleasant and he didn´t hesitate to strip off his dirty shirt, heading to the kitchen to throw it into the trash. He kept the gun close still, setting it on the nightstand in his room before stripping down completely.

The shower was barely big enough to accommodate both men, but they made it work before and now they wanted to be as close as they physically could. Too tired to do more than kiss, Jake still savoured every second, relieved to be finally holding Piers back in his arms, feeling the heat of his skin. He came close to losing him. The hours felt like days.

Dinner was a quiet affair as he reheated the food and they watched the late-night rerun of their show, nearly falling asleep halfway through. The dishes had to wait. The bed was calling their names and both men fell into it, moving closer to each other. Their limbs entangled, the soft kiss was a promise of a better tomorrow as Jake closed his eyes. That night, Piers fell asleep listening to his heartbeat. 

Strong and stubborn, just like Jake himself.


	28. Confessing never felt so intense.

The next morning was a silent one. Jake watched Piers sleep in his arms for about twenty minutes, going over all that happened. He had been so careless with what was happening, thinking that it would only affect him and never would he have imagined that they could go after Piers. They were only lucky that those bastards were unsure of what to do. That they did not expect Wesker to be alive or that Jake was... whatever it was that happened. Feeling the warm breath on his chest, right over the spot where the bullet went through, his gaze fixed on the sleeping male. 

Piers´ arm was back to normal, nothing changed about how it looked in the past weeks since he first administered the vaccine. Yet last night it was back, the powerful B.O.W. limb controlled by the sniper before he made it just go back to how it was. How exactly, Jake had no idea. He also had no clue why or how he survived being shot like that. There was only pain and then he was fine as the wound healed, but he was immune to viruses. Or should be. When did that change?

"Stop thinking.. it´s too loud." Piers´ eyes opened and he saw a smile on his face as the man looked up at him. The realization of him liking Piers being far more than that scared him.

"Sorry... go back to sleep." He pressed a warm kiss to his temple, but Piers already squirmed, shifting in his embrace until they were face to face.

"It bothers you?"

"I guess... not knowing what happened or why." Seeing the other´s face fall he hugged him tighter before he could start thinking about it. "The gunshot, I mean. By all accounts, I should be dead, but it healed. I mean I watched Sherry heal and she´s kinda like a Supergirl so it made sense, but I´m immune. Or... maybe not."

"And my arm... you saw it happen. Seeing you get shot I kinda lost it." So that was the reason? Jake felt flattered and took the man´s hand, raising it to his lips. It had taken him quite long to figure out.

"You saved my life. How you controlled it, I have no idea, but it was actually fucking amazing to see."

"It´s because of your father, actually. He showed me how the virus can be controlled. Which was kinda like focusing on a shot when I use my rifle, so it wasn´t that hard." Jake raised a brow, unaware of this secret training that Piers had with his father. He should thank him later. And apologize as well.

"I blew his cover... and ruined the lobby since we fought there. The whole Alpha team saw and a few others I think and Chris wouldn´t let them shoot, so they were all suspicious." Jake sighed, slowly becoming aware of what he had caused and how this wasn´t just something to be swept under a carpet. "I fucked up..."

"You fought your dad? How? He´s... well, he´s Wesker. Chris could barely hold his own against him. Then again, you did get shot and all that hints at it..." Piers pulled the covers down just enough to expose Jake´s chest, fingertips brushing over the tiny circular scar. "You two are a lot more alike than we all thought I guess. But for once it´s a good thing. Heh, too bad I missed the fight."

"Talk to Wong. She filmed the whole thing..." Grumbling out, Jake buried his face in Piers´ hair and just held him tightly. _"I nearly lost you."_

"Jake..."

"Because I fucked up and ignored everything, I nearly lost you. How can you even stand to be near a stubborn jackass like me?" At least he admitted it, but that didn´t loosen his hold at all as he hugged Piers tighter.

"That´s... stop being an idiot, Jake."

"Puppy?"

"Hm?" Pulling back just a bit, Jake stared into his eyes, the deep green that was always just so warm and gentle and the silver that showed exactly how devoted and loyal Piers was. He deserved so much better than a former mercenary. Deserved far better than someone like Jake. But he would be damned before he would let anyone else have Piers, Romantically or otherwise.

Pressing a soft kiss to his lips it was not long before the passion came out, the kiss deepening as he pressed their bodies close, feeling Piers respond immediately. The lips yielded to his own before he was being kissed back with just as much force and soon it didn´t matter who made what sound as they melded together. If he wasn´t sure before, then now he knew.

Pulling slowly away he smiled at the man, the cute dazed expression on his face before the mismatched eyes focused on his own.

_"I love you."_

The words came to easily now there was no hesitation in his voice at all. When or how he fell in love with Piers, he had no idea. He still found some of his habits annoying, but at the same time they were endearing to the point where he teased the man about them just to see him pout. Staring at him right now he saw the other´s cheeks slowly light up with a heavy blush before Piers pressed his face into his neck, hiding so Jake couldn´t see. Whatever he said came out muffled and for a moment he was worried.

_"Puppy?"_

"Don´t just... blurt it out like that... give me at least a warning or something." Okay, so he wasn´t upset. But he was embarrassed for some reason that Jake didn´t understand.

"Alright... next time I will give you some kind of warning I guess." He heard the man grunt before Piers pulled away and pinned him to the bed, staring down at him for a few seconds before eager lips claimed his own once more. The intensity of the kiss was enough to make the younger man moan, hands pulling him closer.

This was bad. Only hours ago he came close to losing him and now they were kissing like this and it didn´t leave him without a reaction. Which was something he had to get used to over time. But Piers helped with that, since he was always the cause of it anyway. And now it was no different, their nearly naked bodies pressing close while Piers began to kiss down his throat, taking charge of things and leaving Jake effectively breathless. When the other sucked on the skin beneath his ear he actually let out a moan, hugging him closer and felt the warm lips curl into a smile.

"You´re really sensitive here, you know that?" Piers sucked on the same spot again, then kissed it, hands wandering over Jake´s body. He lingered on his chest, touching the spot where the bullet went in, but there was nothing. He could only feel the man´s powerful heartbeat. So he kissed him again, feeling hands on his ass, squeezing and groping without shame. He did notice Jake developing a certain affinity for his butt, even squeezing and groping at work when no one was looking.

The heat was rising quickly and Jake wrapped his arms around the other man, slowly sitting up, keeping Piers in his lap as the kiss wasn´t interrupted for even a second. He couldn´t let that happen. Instead he deepened it more, aware of what was happening. And he didn´t want to stop. He wanted to feel that Piers was alive and well, that he was right here in his arms and not going to leave him. Jake never felt this protective of a person before.

"Jake..." A whimpered moan and he pulled away just enough to stare into dazed eyes. He could feel the sniper´s erection pressing against his own, straining against the underwear he wore. "Are we... going to have sex?"

"If you want to." This might not be the perfect time or it could be the most perfect moment of all and Jake didn´t know which it was, lips once more seeking out Piers´ own in a much gentler kiss before he pulled back. They could do their usual thing, use their hands and just spend time together, but he wanted to do more at the same time.

"Do we... have anything?" Cheeks tinted red, Piers stared at him for a moment, watching Jake glance to the drawer of his nightstand before reaching over and opening it. Taking out the bottle and a small box, the sniper laughed softly. "I can´t really picture you buying those without giving the poor cashier a heart attack."

"It was an older woman... she winked at me." Jake complained softly, then pulled Piers into another kiss and quickly reversed their role. Pinning him to the bed he began to kiss down his neck, lingering on one spot that was already vanishing and left a more prominent mark in its place. He really enjoyed leaving these all over him. The back of his neck, his chest, his inner thighs, they all had more of these marks and he never let his body be without now. 

Meanwhile Piers was moaning his name, fingers gripping at his shoulders while Jake moved slowly lower, fingers already tugging on the other´s boxers and tugging them off his body with ease. They ended up on the floor beside the bed while he slid between Piers´ legs. Having watched his body fill out after those months in China and his frame once more show the strength he had inside was amazing, making his fingers itch to touch him more and more. And he did, caressing his hips, lips once more returning to claim the sniper´s in a heated kiss and strong arms pulled him even closer.

"W-wait!" Jake stopped, pulling away for a moment, staring at Piers. If he wanted to stop, then of course he would. The last thing he wanted was for the man to be scared or uncomfortable. But the arms remained locked around his shoulders still. "There´s still... I have to..."

"What are you talking about?" he was making no sense and Jake really hoped it was important since it seemed that Piers wanted him to continue.

"Jake." The seriousness of his voice was effective in silencing him and staring into his eyes, he waited, giving him all the time he needed.

_"I love you, too."_

The thing was, Jake didn´t expect to hear this. Didn´t really need to, as long as Piers was aware of how he felt about him. But the moment the words came he was rendered speechless, only able to stare at Piers. Love was a strange thing and it made no sense and was maybe even useless in the long run, but none of that shit mattered. Jake recaptured Piers´ lips in another kiss, tenderly this time

When hands found the waistband of his underwear and started tugging on it, Jake needed to help get them off and quickly they joined the pair already decorating the floor of the bedroom. With nothing else between them it was almost a strange feeling, but neither wanted to stop. If anything, he felt Piers pull him closer and their lengths rubbed against each other while Jake reached for the bottle of lubricant. Vanilla seemed like a good scent at the time and opening it he was relieved that it was actually pretty decent.

The first finger slid in easily. The lubricant made it much slicker as well and Jake wasted no time in pressing the tip of his finger to that spot inside the man. Over the past few weeks he used that quite often, especially when they were in the showers and time was of the essence. There was something incredibly sexy about seeing Piers go weak from the pleasure. Now he cried out, grasping at the sheets with one hand, the other, squeezing at his shoulders, lips parted as he tried to catch his breath.

"Do that _again_..." And Jake didn´t need to be told twice, thrusting the digit inside the man´s body, then slowly added another finger, gently pressing inside him. He was still bigger than this and knew the pain too well himself, but he knew how to make sure it was almost nonexistent. Distracting Piers with kisses and soft nips, Jake worked the digits inside him, softening his entrance, preparing him for what would come. There was no rush. They had all the time in the world. Jake kissed him again and again, locking lips until the craving for air became too strong and a moment later they were back. It wasn´t long before he felt the other press back against his fingers and Jake carefully added a third.

He felt the man tense, the initial feeling already different than with just two, but he said nothing as Jake prepared him. With the concentration he could see on the younger man´s face he didn´t need to say anything. And frankly, some pain was just to be expected. To reassure him that he was still doing fine, Piers kissed him again, both arms now wrapping firmly around Jake´s shoulders.

When exactly he fell in love with the former mercenary, he had no idea. But he knew that the first time he had seen Jake play the piano he felt moved. The raw emotion in his face, the way he let his thoughts spill out into his music, it was the first step. So when he was offered an apartment at the B.S.A.A. housing, his first question was where Jake lived. And request to be moved in with him. Why? He didn´t know and repeatedly told himself it was a bad idea. Even Chris warned him. But he still did it. And not once regretted this decision. He expected them to get used to each other and work together, but becoming friends was a welcome surprise.

Falling in love was a shock.

And here they were, the younger man confessing first whereas Piers stole his first kiss weeks ago. He still felt a certain smugness about it as he recalled Jake´s expression. Though now he lost count about who initiated more kisses or... other activities. Moaning again when the fingers brushed against his prostate he nearly saw stars when they actually pressed against the spot. He was shaking, wanting more of the sensation. More of Jake. All of him.

Voicing it was a chore though, each time a moan or a gasp coming forth instead of actual words and it took a moment before he was able to get his attention again. "J-Jake... enough... more..." Aware of his own face burning with a blush, he was surprised when Jake´s cheeks lit up as well and the man reached out, fumbling for the box of condoms before knocking it off the nightstand.

_"Fuck-"_

"Forget them." Piers was not willing to wait for something like that. He wanted more now. Sitting up a bit he pulled Jake into another kiss, then sat up fully, hands lovingly cradling the man´s face as he moved onto his lap. "I don´t want to wait any longer. I trust you."

Trust. Such a little word and such a great thing. Jake trusted very few people in his life and now he was surrounded by those whom he not only could trust, but who trusted him back. Piers was a perfect example of that. So instead of a reply he kissed him hands groping over his ass once more, squeezing and touching before he began to slowly lower the man onto his slickened erection. Blue eyes never left the other´s face, watching for any sign of pain or discomfort, but instead Piers looked shocked and his frame shook, fingers now digging into Jake´s shoulders enough to leave imprints. 

There was no magical feeling of time stopping, no sparkles or ethereal music. Just the two of them, panting as they were lost in another kiss and Jake fully sheathed himself inside the other man. Piers´ body was always warm, but right now he felt like he could melt. The other moaned and gasped, shuddering briefly before experimentally rocking his hips, the next sensation making his thighs quiver. Jake felt way bigger this way.

He moved slowly, not rushing at all as he simply rocked his hips up, lips leaving yet another mark on Piers neck, kissing the reddened spot. Love really was a strange thing. Even kissing him now felt different. Better somehow. The emotion no longer hiding all the time, but flowing freely. When Piers urged him to move more he did, following the other´s instructions, letting him take charge of what was happening and the sniper seemed to be enjoying it.

Their bodies moved as one before the movement became more frantic, Piers´ moaning louder, interrupted only by Jake´s own soft grunts as his hand pressed against his back, keeping their chests connected, heartbeats matching while they moved. Jake loved this closeness, feeling how warm and alive Piers was and that he wasn´t going anywhere. Their lips kept connecting over and over again as his free hand stroked the man and it was not long before he felt Piers tense. Or it might have been hours for all what he knew. He wasn´t really capable of checking at the moment or even caring.

When Piers came he actually cried out, droplets of sweat trickling down his temples, body trembling before he leaned into Jake. The way he tightened around him was already too much, but watching his boyfriend come like that was too much for the former mercenary. He planned to pull out, he really did, but after Piers walls squeezed him so tightly he could not even more. He kissed him in apology when Piers made a faint sound of discomfort squirming in his lap.

They didn´t move for a while, heated bodies cooling in the morning air as Jake rested his head on Piers shoulder. His arms were still tightly around the man´s waist, hugging him close. Neither was willing to do anything just yet and it was only when the sticky sounds of their bodies reminded them of the mess they made that they noticed the state they were in.

"How about... we take a shower now?" Piers found the idea great and nodded, slowly climbing off the man´s lap, feeling his softened member slip out. Trying to stand he nearly fell, but strong hands caught him and steadied him just as he felt something else slipping out. Now this was a really weird sensation. A shower was definitely in order.

"Definitely making this a long one. Hey Jake?"

"Hm?"

"Can you make pancakes for breakfast?"


	29. Irrelevant questions

"They will be all asking questions. I blew his cover and now they know he´s alive." Maybe he was already on the run or hiding somewhere. Jake felt pretty fucking bad for what he had done to Wesker, but at that time all he could think about was getting to Piers at any cost. 

"It´s fine. Chris would have called if anything was up, right? People listen to him for a reason. That´s what makes him a good Captain." Piers spent the entire morning trying to calm Jake down, but with little success.

Two days had passed since the rescue and for a while they didn´t need to think about anything. There was no call or emergency, nothing that would suggest shit was going down at the HQ. And that silence might be even worse. Parking outside the building, Piers stepped out, still feeling sore after last night and shot Jake a look that said it was all his fault.

"Come on, let´s go inside and see what´s happening." Jake nodded, not looking forward to this mess. So much explaining had to be done and he was tired of talking. But for once, he could not solve things by punching anything or anyone. Wrapping his arm around Piers´ shoulders as they walked in he immediately noticed that the front desk has been replaced and most of the damage repaired. They worked quickly. And the moment they stepped in, eyes were on them, following them without a word.

No one stopped them though. And at least, Jake did not have to pretend any longer to be mere friends with Piers. That felt oddly satisfying. He had seen the way that receptionist looked at the man when they were chatting and he didn´t like it at all. So for now, they headed straight to Chris´ office, Jake knocking briefly before entering, not waiting to be actually invited inside.

"Oh for fuck´s sake!"

Seeing Chris pinned to the desk with his shirt up and Wesker doing something interesting to his neck made him groan in annoyance. "Your door has a fucking lock! Use it!" Immediately he pulled Piers out of the room, slamming the door shut before either man could retort and stomped off with his boyfriend in tow.

"Hey you two, back already? Did you see Chris?" Jill looked as cheerful as always, pleased about something only she knew about and Jake had no idea what it could be. Staring at her for a moment he nodded towards the closed office door.

"He´s under my dad." He watched her eyebrows rise before she calmly walked over, banging on the door hard enough to rattle it.

"You two have ten minutes before the meeting!" There was silence for a moment before Chris´ voice replied.

"Okay!" She huffed, walking back to the two before patting Jake on the shoulder.

"There´s a meeting in ten minutes in the lounge. So you two don´t forget to show up as well. And don´t worry. Everything´s alright. Things got a bit sorted out while you two were gone." She winked before vanishing back to her own office and Jake was left confused and somewhat relieved.

"So your dad´s still around then. That has to be a good thing, right?" Piers´ voice sounded hopeful and Jake nodded, trying to believe that he was right, even though he still had doubts.

For now they just went to the empty lounge and Jake walked straight to the piano. It has been a while since he played and he missed it. Piers sat beside him, watching his hands as they moved over the keys and smiled. For a few minutes, it was just the two of them, but when Simon and Cole showed up he stopped playing and stood up.

"Hey, that was nice. So the Christmas party was not just a lucky moment." Simon was in a good mood again, but the man always seemed to be. The cheerful nature was kinda annoying, but at the same time Jake enjoyed it by now. It helped having someone like that around.

"Why would it be?" Jake smirked, walking to one of the tables with Piers close by and sat down as the room began to fill with more people. Jill soon joined them, waiting until everyone was there. The teams were all present, no one aware of why they were called, but some had a feeling what this was about. 

The news about Wesker being alive spread like wildfire, just like the news about his son. But so did the news about what happened to Piers and all that Wesker did in the past couple of years. Confusion and mistrust were all over the place, but a few individuals came forth after a while telling a whole different story.

"You know, a few years ago my sister was infected by some kind of virus. Not exactly what we are fighting again, but close. Doctors couldn´t do shit. I joined the B.S.A.A. because of that, to help and maybe see if someone here could help. Was barely here a month before someone delivered a parcel to her door with a vaccine of sorts." Cole watched as Jill pulled down a white projection screen on one wall. "She finished her doctorate in biochemistry before Christmas and was hired by some strange company working on expanding vaccines like that. Didn´t know who sent the one to her until now. It just came signed with A.W. And that happened to a few others here."

Cole didn´t look at Jake, but he was smiling as silence fell all over the room and Chris stalked over to Jill, standing beside her. He looked somewhat flushed, but the man who walked in behind him was coolness personified, shades in place as he stood there.

"Now that you are all finally here, let´s get straight to it. Yes, it´s him, no he´s not evil. And since I don´t feel like explaining everything twice you will all shut your damn mouths and let me talk." Wesker glanced to her, then to Chris as Jill once again explained all that happened, all evidence showed on the screen behind her. 

Jake zoned out for a bit, just looking around the room. People were listening at least and no one was getting ready to attack so that was a bonus. But his father looked somewhat uncomfortable, aware of people staring and for a moment caught Jake´s gaze. A few followed it, staring at the young man before looking away.

"Piers is back in action yet again and we probably have more groups that are connected with Neo-Umbrella, so it´s not over yet. But thanks to Wesker we now have more intel about where to strike next. Now, questions?" Hands raised immediately, almost at each table.

"So he´s a member of the B.S.A.A. now?"

"No, I´m-"

"Actually he is, though I haven´t told him yet. I had everything issued months ago, but usually he´s hanging out with Chris and I never got the chance to give him the papers or his badge and card." It was rare to see Wesker surprised, but oh-so-worth it.

"I do not recall agreeing to this."

"I didn´t ask. Next question?"

"Jake´s really his son?" All eyes in the room turned to stare at Jake and he growled, not liking his attention at all.

"I thought I covered that already. Yes, he is. And thought that information was classified in the archives, thanks to a few rats in the system it got out, which resulted in the mess a few days ago. And since the two saw it fit to destroy the lobby with their fight, I decided that hiding it was useless."

"Especially after that video we saw." Someone in the back called out and Jill knew exactly which video he meant. It has been coursing through the whole building for days thanks to Ada and most were actually impressed.

"So, do we get like... new training? Or instructions? Some kind of serum to become super soldiers?"

"Yes, yes and no fucking way. Wesker will not be leading a team since he prefers to work on his own and provide the intel we then use, but he agreed to lead a few classes for those interested in a challenge. You saw what he can do, so don´t come whining to me afterwards. Any new instructions will come either from me or Chris directly. As for the serum... Wesker?"

The man stepped forward, a few chairs sliding back, the men still somewhat scared as the blond pointed to the white screen. "There is no serum to make a super soldier. No secret concoction that will make you a hero. I am thankful to have regained most of my humanity, but will always remain different. Piers Nivans himself suffered the consequences of the C-virus and only his own nature saved his mind from the damage it wrecks on someone weaker than that." The pictures changed to show the mutations of a J´avo, the B.O.W. and then the failed experiments that no one had seen before. "These are all people who thought they could use the virus and a cocktail of various serums to control the effects. They are all dead now, of course. So no, there is no serum or anything like it."

Some people looked relieved, others disappointed, but mostly they were just glad that Wesker drew the line somewhere. Of course, the man wasn´t done. Taking his shades off he heard a few people gasp as they saw his eyes and the lack of any red.

"Of course, even without serums an such nonsense it is possible to increase your physical abilities. Those interested can come see me during the training hours Jill will select. Your first task will be to take these away from me. If any of you succeed by the end of the month, it will be a great improvement."

"But February only began!"

"That leaves you with four weeks worth of trying, does it not?" Sliding the shades back on, Wesker looked around the room, some of the hands having gone down already.

"Can we watch you fight Jake again?"

"I want to see him fight Chris!"

"How about Piers and Jake going against Chris and Wesker?"

"I would pay to watch that!"

"Idiots... I am surrounded by a bunch of fucking idiots..." Jake buried his face in his hands when more people were supporting that idea and he heard bets being places already. 

"Is there any actual, relevant question?" Wesker didn´t seem amused, unlike Jill who was cackling behind her hand. Chris just looked upset that his men were considering this as an option.

"Yea. Are you behind the mysterious meds that were sent out to those afflicted by a virus? All came signed with your initials anyway and connected to the B.S.A.A. labs." Wesker´s eyes narrowed behind the shades as he looked at the man sitting beside Jake.

"What is your name?"

"Cole Marshall."

"Samantha Marshall, graduated recently with her PhD. In biochemistry and viral sciences, am I correct? She´s an essential member of my team. You can be proud of her." That was all the answer he gave, already growing tired of this mess. "I think we can call an end to this-"

"Are you dating Chris?" Eyes darting to the source of the voice, Wesker was annoyed when he couldn´t locate it in the crowd and the silence was unbearable as all eyes were on him, some shifting to look at Chris. As if there was any doubt, considering how red the man´s face was, but Wesker remained unaffected, right until he smiled.

"It´s always hard to let go of something you wanted for years. But you may want to remember to knock when entering his office." Someone whistled and Chris looked ready to sink into the ground while Wesker calmly walked over to him, brushing his shoulder briefly. A second later he was gone, standing at the other end of the room. "If that is all, I will be in the training room waiting for my first victims."

"I swear I´m going to kill him for that..." Chris seethed, hands clenched into fists.

"Oh relax, at least they were all nice about it. Besides... you were doing a piss-poor job of hiding the marks he left on you. I mean seriously, what are you guys? Teenagers?" Jill pressed her finger to one of Chris´ neck.

"He´s always been like that...

"Seems to run in the family." Nodding towards Piers, Jill smiled and watched Chris narrow his eyes, studying the dark mark on his neck.

Like father, like son.

The rest of the meeting went by quick. A few more questions regarding Wesker´s nature, his work for the B.S.A.A., his abilities and relationship with Jake, but people were all accepting, even if distrustful. Having someone like Wesker walking around like this made them nervous, but then again, they spent weeks walking around with his son in their midst and never noticed anything strange aside from his general attitude. But that calmed down since Piers was hanging out with him.

"I think we can conclude the meeting here. Wesker will have his own office set up by the end of the week since it´s necessary for his work. Barely a month into the new year and we already have to chase down a ton of assholes who think they can do what Neo-Umbrella couldn´t. But with our current teams, I think we have the upper hand already. Alright, anyone willing to test their luck, head down to the training room to Wesker." 

"I guess it´s not over just yet." Jake sighed as he leaned back, staring at the ceiling as he rocked on the chair´s hind legs. "And I still don´t know how I survived that gunshot... or what happened during the fight..." That still bothered him, even though his mind was mostly at ease now. Wesker was still around...

"That´s simple, Jake. During your time in China, Carla wanted to see what would happen if she would combine your antibodies with those of dear Sherry. But the results didn´t show any changes since both adapted and connected. You are unique this way. Just like your father." Ada Wong was studying her phone, watching the fight she recorded with a smile. "And over time, your abilities will come to match his more and more. But unlike Wesker, you lack the original virus that corrupted his mind. You are, what the others here called, a super soldier."

"I didn´t get a say in any of that." Jake stood up in the nearly empty room and stalked over to her. "I didn´t ask for any antibodies or serums or mutations."

"Of course you didn´t. Which is why you don´t sound as angry as you could be. Or is there another reason?" Her eyes glanced briefly to the man behind him, Piers watching the exchange with a frown.

"... I guess there is." Her smile said everything as she slid off the bar counter and headed out the door, waving briefly at him and Piers. Probably heading to Jill´s office again. Those two women scheming together was terrifying.

"I wonder how she comes and goes all the time." Piers came to stand beside Jake and shook his head, reaching out to take his hand. "But see? Everything turned out fine. Your dad´s still scary as hell, but that kind of thing runs in the family I guess. Until you two warm up to someone." Pressing a light kiss to Jake´s lips he lead him out of the room and towards the hallway that would take them to the training room. "Come on, I want to see him kick ass."

"You know that someone will tell me to fight him again." They all saw the video after all.

"You can just tell them they have to defeat your father before they can fight you." Hearing Jake laugh was a lovely sound and soon Piers was pulled into another kiss, just outside the locker room before both walked inside.

Things were only starting to get complicated, but more than ever before, Jake felt ready to face them. As long as Piers was by his side, he knew he wouldn´t lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last chapter to go, an epilogue of sorts, then I plan to devote some time to the Wesker/Chris story.


	30. -Epilogue

_-6 months later-_

All Jake wanted was a nice, quiet evening with his boyfriend. Just spend time watching TV or doing something more romantic or intimidate, just the two of them and no interruptions. Instead he was glaring at his own reflection once more, the knife mirroring his glare rather well.

"Jake! They´ll be here soon! Is the salsa ready?"

"It was half an hour ago, Puppy." And already the bowl was on the kitchen counter. Along with more food, glasses chilled bottles and Jake hated every second of this. When Piers came from around the corner and walked behind him, Jake ignored him on purpose and focused on cutting up the cherry tomatoes into halves, the kisses to his neck doing little to pacify him.

"Come on, it will be fine. It´s just a party."

"A useless party." Jake grunted, finishing the appetizers by stabbing the olives in the top and handed the platter to Piers who immediately stole one. "We don´t need a housewarming party. And this is an apartment." And it has been lived in before. After Chris announced that he was moving in with Wesker and that his apartment would be left up for grabs, Piers jumped at the opportunity. 

"It´s just what it´s called. Oh relax. Or could it be... that you´re sore?" Concern filled those eyes and Jake instantly felt bad, ruffling up the other´s hair. 

"Not in a million years. And stop eating those." Last night was rather intense though. And so was the morning after where they continued. Once Piers set the platter down and rushed to fix his hair, Jake walked around the kitchen isle to look around. It was a nice place though. Large, open spaces, comfortable furniture, a nice spot for the piano. The kitchen especially was something he enjoyed also because the counters were the perfect height for him to lift Piers onto. 

The master bedroom was amazing. Probably the best part of their new home. They bought a new bed, of course. And the place has been scrubbed top to bottom after Chris moved out for obvious reasons that Jill still laughed over. But the new bed was fantastic. And after he managed to convince Piers that instead of sticking posters to wall to have them actually framed and hung up the man was more than pleased.

Posters aside, they had quite the nice picture wall going on. One of the photos was the old picture he gifted Jake seven months ago. His parents looked happy together and that was why he insisted. The others were similar. The whole Alpha team after a mission gone great. Jake playing the piano in the lounge with Piers watching (a secret gift from Jill). A photo of Wesker and Jake fighting (a gift from Ada) and many more of all their friends together. And in some of them, both father and son were smiling.

Jake had never felt happier with his life. Opening the bottle of champagne he poured the glasses, aware that their guests would be coming soon. When music filled the room he smiled, recognizing his own piano. It wasn´t the best recording, granted, but he liked it and so did Piers. When the other came up behind him to kiss his neck again, Jake turned around and instead stole a proper kiss, pulling him close.

"I still think this is a stupid idea, but if it makes you happy I guess I can deal with it for a while." Whispering he kissed him again, showing more affection over the months, used to feeling less afraid of losing those he cared about.

The doorbell rang and they pulled away from each other, Jake more reluctantly than Piers, but he finished pouring the champagne instead. The fact that they went shopping together for champagne glasses still bothered him. It was so domestic and strange. Plus they got really weird looks from everyone. Still, no one dared to say a word to either of them and Jake long since stopped wondering why.

"Feels weird to be coming here as a guest." Chris´ voice made him chuckle. Wesker was right behind him, nodding in agreement.

"Or as an intruder."

"Way to be creepy, old man." Jake shook his head, putting the empty bottle away for now as more people walked in. The entire Alpha team, of course, along with Jill were at the top of the list. Ada showed up as well, for once entering a room through the intended door and made a big show of it before laughing. Already there were more people around than Jake would have liked.

Sherry was there as well, hugging him tightly. Leon just gave him a polite nod, staring at Wesker, still not used to being on the same side as this man, but Ada seemed to have a way to convince him. 

"I bet you made all of this again, right?" Claire Redfield. Meeting his sister for the first time was somewhat awkward, but he heard from Sherry how much she had done to help her. And he was impressed with the woman.

"It´s a nice way to relax." Jake enjoyed cooking. Room full of people ad noise, it was hard to focus, but he was smiling as everyone just relaxed after a moment.

"I wish Wesker could cook this well."

"I still cook more than you do, Christopher. Although you seem to be good at stuffing your mouth." Wesker sipped the champagne, having forgone his shades for the evening, one arm wrapped around the other man´s waist.

"I could same the same about you." 

"About stuffing your mouth?"

"Ugh, gross." Jake grimaced, stepping away from the two. They never did learn to lock the damn office door and by now he knew it was on purpose.

"Hey, the music´s familiar. Jake, is that you playing?" Sherry looked at him expectantly, already knowing the answer as the man nodded. "It´s so lovely! What´s the song called?"

"... for Piers." Muttering he clasped his hand over her mouth before she could say anything and shook his head. Already he felt embarrassed. He could see her smile before winking and slowly pulled away. Chris was now staring at the wall full of photographs they had put up, lingering on the one of Jake´s parents together. 

"Still no plans to let your hair grow out and show more of that red?" 

"Not in a million years." Once he tried, forgetting to buzz his hair down a few times and then just let it be, but after one shower where he slicked it back and gazed into the mirror he actually shaved his head the next moment. Piers was not a fan of that look, but within two weeks he was back to normal.

Everyone was mingling, taking or drinking, enjoying the food Jake prepared and the mood was so light. It seemed strange to even imagine what they all did for a living. And the world was still a better place. The last of Neo-Umbrella has been destroyed five weeks ago. Not that it was easy. And Wesker yelled at Chris for over an hour for endangering himself by standing between the briefly dazed blond and a bullet. But there have been no injuries as Piers took care of the man, once more showing off his excellent sniping abilities.

The recovered files helped eradicate any stragglers and now... now there was something new. There always was something. But they were ready, more than ever before.

"See? You´re smiling." Piers came up to him, smiling that happy little smile before pressing a kiss to Jake´s cheek, right over the scar. Being able to show affection in front of others took some getting used to. Not just the possessive kind, but the sweet, romantic kind that made Piers blush.

"I guess it´s not that bad." Pulling him close, Jake watched their friends talk and laugh. This really wasn´t bad. Seeing his father and Chris together was a sight he was used to. When Chris came to him months ago, worried about how Jake thought of them being like this, he couldn´t be upset. After all, it happened after his mother. And he himself knew best that love was a strange thing.

"Come on, Puppy, we need to open another bottle of champagne."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for coming with me on this ride. I have still a lot of improvement left when it comes to writing and Word will not catch all mistakes, but this has been fun for me. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Please, leave me any comments. The Wesker/Chris side of this tale is starting up soon as well and will probably update as much as this story did. Again, thank you for reading.


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